News Notes – March 31

Hidden in plain sight – Fenway offers landmarks, culture, and play spaces all within arm’s reach
By Ron Driscoll – Globe Staff / March 29, 2009

Pardon the Fenway neighborhood for feeling a little unappreciated.

It is often confused with the ballpark of the same name, where Boston’s most famous franchise plays. Then there’s The Fenway, a road that loops through the area and borders an open space called the Back Bay Fens. This muddies the waters even more, which is fitting given that the Muddy River flows through the Fens. The neighborhood doesn’t even rate its own name; the city designates it the Fenway/Kenmore district.

“In some ways, the Fenway is Boston’s secret little neighborhood,” said Michael Ross, who has represented it on the City Council for nearly 10 years. “You might not even notice it if you’re not looking for it.”

Related
* Map An interactive tour
* Video Fenway Park tour
* Video Northeastern tour
* Fenway neighborhood guide

BU students evacuated after dorm oil spill
New England in brief – March 31, 2009

Hundreds of Boston University students were displaced for two hours last night after a dormitory was evacuated because of a spill of 50 gallons of heating oil. The heavy-grade heating oil spilled from a broken furnace in the basement of Myles Standish Hall, said Steve McDonald, spokesman for the Fire Department.

Boston’s tallest building goes on auction block
AP – Associated Press – March 31, 2009

BOSTON—One of Boston’s iconic skyscrapers could fetch half of what it cost less than three years ago when it goes on the auction block.

The John Hancock Tower, New England’s tallest building, is being sold Tuesday in New York City under a foreclosure process that began in January.

The Boston Globe reports that owner Broadway Partners defaulted on some of the loans it used to purchase the skyscraper for $1.3 billion in late 2006.

Boston Cabbies Sue to Delay Hybrid Vehicle Rules
By Associated Press – Tuesday, March 31, 2009

BOSTON — A group of about 200 Boston taxi drivers and owners claims in a federal lawsuit that a rule requiring all 1,825 city cabs be hybrid vehicles by 2015 will put many of them out of business.

The plaintiffs say they do not oppose green vehicles, but want the changeover delayed because new hybrids can cost three times more than the vehicles most cabbies drive now. They also want to be able to buy used hybrids.

Al Gore to tout fed boo$t to Hub green projects
By Richard Weir – Monday, March 30, 2009

Former Vice President Al Gore will team up with Mayor Thomas M. Menino today to announce that the city is receiving $6.5 million in federal stimulus funds to help kick-start “Renew Boston,” a program aimed at reducing the Hub’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The money will help create a program that will reduce energy consumption by weatherizing homes and retrofitting city-owned buildings. The money also will be used to spur the development of “shovel ready” municipal solar-electric, solar-thermal and wind-energy projects, according to the city.

News Notes – March 30

News of Fenway interest from the Globe and the Herald
Compiled by Stephen Brophy

Into the future
By Robert Campbell – Globe Correspondent / March 29, 2009

As City Weekly fades into the past, it seems a good moment to look to Boston’s future. What can we expect in the next 10 or 20 years?

I’ll start with an axiom I picked up from Toronto urban designer Ken Greenberg, who does a lot of work in Boston. Says Greenberg: “The big problems we’re facing in the world today will be solved in cities.”

He’s thinking of problems like global warming, climate change, rising sea levels. Cities have two qualities: They’re densely populated, and they mix a lot of different kinds of people and activities close together. As a result, you’re not in a car all the time, burning carbon to get from place to place. You’re in touch with your neighbors. Your apartment can be heated or cooled more efficiently than your cousin’s home in the suburbs. (We’re not yet a leader in the energy race. The Swedish city of Gothenburg, with a climate as harsh as Boston’s, now heats itself entirely with recycled garbage.)

Left-turn scofflaws plague Longwood
By Christina Pazzanese – Globe Correspondent / March 29, 2009

Perhaps it’s the naturally hectic pace of hospitals or the high concentration of medical businesses clustered in one small section of the city. Whatever the reason, GlobeWatch seems to receive a lot of complaints about traffic in the Longwood Medical Area.

Tipster Margaret Livingstone, who has been commuting to the Longwood area for 35 years, says traffic there is much worse and driving more dangerous than it ought to be, especially on Brookline Avenue between 3 and 6 p.m., when most hospital workers head home.

Help solve the mystery of the Gardner art heist
By Herald staff – Sunday, March 29, 2009

When thieves stole Rembrandt’s postage stamp-sized self-portrait from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, they took the time and effort necessary to remove the etching from its frame. The frame, backing and mat for the etching were then left in the Dutch Room, where the frames that once held two other Rembrandts, a Vermeer and a Flinck were also left.

In fact, none of the frames left empty during the March 18, 1990, theft were removed from their respective galleries. Except one.

Lawrence leads Boston U to Frozen Four
by AP – Associated Press (in Boston Globe, March 30, 2009)

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Jason Lawrence scored a power-play goal with 14.4 seconds left, and Boston University advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in 12 years, beating New Hampshire 2-1 on Sunday in the Northeast Regional final.

The Terriers (33-6-4), the only one of the four top-seeded teams remaining in the tournament, will face Hockey East rival Vermont in the national semifinals on Thursday, April 9, at The Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.

Announcement: Street Cleaning Starts April 1

A press release from Tracy Ganiatsos of the City of Boston:

NEIGHBORHOOD STREET CLEANING RESUMES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

The City of Boston’s Neighborhood Street Cleaning Program will resume operation beginning Wednesday, April 1, 2009. The program, a cooperative effort of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, the Public Works Department and the Transportation Department, runs annually from April 1 through November 30.

Street sweeping schedule information for specific streets in Boston is available at www.cityofboston.gov/publicworks/sweeping. Residents are also invited to register for “No Tow” email reminders on this page. “No Tow” is a service provided by the city for residents to be reminded by email when the street that they regularly park on is scheduled for cleaning.

Boston Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin said, “Over the past several years, residents of Boston’s neighborhoods have repeatedly expressed their desire for clean streets. It’s a quality of life issue that cannot be accomplished without the cooperation of drivers as parked cars prohibit street sweeping equipment from getting to the curb and cleaning streets effectively.”

He continued, “For this reason, Boston’s street cleaning regulations are strictly enforced. Motor vehicle owners who live in Boston, as well as those who are visiting, are strongly encouraged to heed the wishes of Boston’s neighborhood residents and park accordingly.”

Signs are posted on streets throughout the city outlining the street cleaning schedule for that particular street. During the last two weeks of March, courtesy flyers will be placed on the windshields of vehicles parked in Boston’s neighborhoods to notify motorists of the parking restrictions associated with the program.

From April 1 through November 30, Parking Enforcement Officers will distribute $40 tickets to vehicles parked in violation of the regulations and vehicles will be subject to removal by private tow operators at the sole expense of the vehicle owner.

Emerald Necklace Conservancy – Call to Action

An announcement from Julie Crockford of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy:

Danger Ahead for Historic Parkways and Bridges!

The State Senate will take up the Transportation bill Wednesday March 25 and while most of the attention has gone to toll and gas tax increases, the bill contains a provision to transfer oversight for historic parkways and bridges – including those of the Emerald Necklace, the Charles River parks, and Middlesex Fells – from DCR to the Mass Highway Department.

We need your help to keep the historic Emerald Necklace parkways and bridges under the authority of the Department of Conservation and Recreation where parks are a priority.

Legislators have not been getting many calls on the parkways issue. Please make your voice heard now before it’s too late!

Contact your legislators today (contact info below) to urge them to sign-on to the amendment to Senate #10 proposed by Senator Chang-Diaz to oppose the transfer of authority for the historic parkways and bridges to Mass Highway. The proposed transfer would be an erosion of our park systems and would not save money. To the contrary, parks expertise would be lost which would increase the cost of proper maintenance.

Next week, the House will take up House #107, the Governor’s transportation bill which proposes the transfer of the historic bridges from DCR to Mass highway.

Opposing the transfer are the Environmental League of Massachusetts, The Trustees of Reservations, The Esplanade Association, the Charles River Conservancy, the Arborway Coalition and many other environmental organizations.

Please call your State Senator and State Representative today!

Contact information for all legislators is available at: http://www.mass.gov/legis

Senator Steven A. Baddour, Rm. 208 (617) 722-1604
Steven.Baddour@state.ma.us

Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, Rm. 134 (617) 722-2400
Rep.JosephWagner@hou.state.ma.us
Co-Chairs
Joint Committee on Transportation
State House Boston, MA 02133

Thank you for supporting the parkways!

Read the full text of our testimony submitted 3.12.09.

Health Center Eyes Big Fundraising Deadline

When it moves to 1340 Boylston this month,
Fenway Community Health will add services,
offer longer hours, and serve more people.
Photo by Fenway Community Health

By Christine Pafumi

When the Fenway Community Health Center (FCHC) moves to its new building later this month, it will occupy the largest facility ever constructed by an organization with a mission to serve the lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender (LGBT) communities.

“I think it’s an important milestone for people nationally,” said Chris Viveiros, associate director of communications for Fenway Health. “But it also demonstrates the fact that here in Boston and Massachusetts there’s a strong commitment to LGBT rights and to healthcare as a right for people.”

The health center has been in the Fenway since since its founding by neighborhood residents in 1971. The center has outgrown its current building at 7 Haviland Street, which it occupied in 1992. The new site will provide bigger facilities and allow the center to offer expanded hours, a new street-level pharmacy open to the public, and new services. “It’s pretty close to where we are now, and I think people are excited,” Viveiros said. “There are a few different reasons to be excited.”

New services include Fenway Health’s first venture into pediatrics with its new dentistry program and optometry services. “We have the capacity to see more patients, so we have hired some new providers,” Viveiros said. “Then as the patient population continues to grow we will hire even more providers until we reach capacity.” Initially, about ten new jobs have been created, according to Viveiros.

To complete the financing of the new location, the center needs to raise another $1.22 million by the end of June. The Kresge Foundation challenged Fenway to raise roughly $3.6 million between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2009, according to the FCHC website. Under this “all or nothing” challenge, if the the health center meets the goal the foundation will grant it $1.75 million, one of the largest gifts in Fenway’s history and the largest award Kresge has ever made to a group with a mission of serving the LGBT community. If FCHC doesn’t meet the challenge, it will receive nothing from Kresge.

While FCHC’s development department continues regular annual fundraising, the “10 Stories” program—an $18 million, multiyear campaign—has been running simultaneously to help finance the new facility. Two big fundraisers are coming up: The Women’s Dinner Party will take place on March 14, and the Men’s Event will be April 4.

The ten-story, 100,000-square-foot facility will bring FCHC’s staff—now scattered among 7 and 16 Haviland and an office in the Prudential Tower—together in one location. The South End Associates office at 142 Berkeley Street will remain open at its current location.

“It’s an expanded health center, so that means we will be able to serve more people, and part of our mission has always been to provide care to people in the neighborhood as well as to the other groups we serve, the LGBT community and people living with HIV/AIDS,” Viveiros said. “It will be easier to get an appointment with more doctors and our capacity will be expanded, so hopefully that means that we can serve the neighborhood better.”

For more about the new building visit www.tenstories.org and www.1340boylston.org.

Fenway High Girls Progress to State Tournament

Photo by Patrick O’Connor

Congratulations to the Fenway High Girls Basketball team for winning the Boston North Division with a record of 16-3. The Panthers are led by headcoach Steve Drayton and are off to the state tournament as we go to press.

Fire Victims to Expect Lengthy Rebuilding Process

By Lori A. Frankian

An anxious yet warm energy filled Church restaurant, the generous host of a Feb. 23 meeting organized by the Fenway CDC to update the neighborhood on the status of the restaurants destroyed by fire on Jan. 6. Approximately 135 people filled the Kilmarnock Street restaurant—City of Boston officials, restaurant owners, community members and the owner of the “Restaurant Row” building, Monty Gold.

The sad stillness in the wake of the tragic fire during the frigid early hours of January 6 is painfully evident every day to those who live and work in the tight community. Nearly two months after flames destroyed Sorento’s, Umi, El Pelon, Rod Dee Thai, The Greek Isle, Thorton’s Fenway Grille and Bon Cleaners, a pile of memories remains, charred and visible through the fenced blockade around the corner. Everyone wanted answers. How long would it take to revitalize the vibrant neighborhood, and who or what would return?

Steve Wolf, FCDC board member opened the meeting stating, “the Fenway is a community within a larger city.” He called Restaurant Row a “living room” for many, noting that “the restaurants are very important to everyone.” He soothed souls by sharing the news that Gold was “not interested in chain restaurants,” despite rumors to that effect. Attendees crowded the restaurant, sitting, standing or kneeling on the floor, a picture of community that spoke for itself. Great hope and feelings of angst were joined at the hip!

John Lynch, Operations Specialist for the Department of Neighborhood Development spoke about his efforts to “assemble and help business owners and staff with unemployment services, state resources and disaster insurance.” His goals are to “focus on the new legal requirements, the planning and permit procedures and incorporating a technical staff” to participate in a process of rebuilding a structure that “satisfies the building development plans.” What does this mean? Restaurant Row is not going to be re-born in 2009.

Many aspects are involved in Monty Gold’s decision-making process as to how he will rebuild his property of 25 years, among them the time-consuming involvement of insurance companies, architects, structural engineers and the City of Boston. One topic that inspired concern among residents revolved around zoning. Would the new structure work its way toward the sky as seen in the recent developments on Boylston Street? The only question that was answered without hesitation was how the fire happened. Simply stated by John Lynch, “it was an electrical fire.” He repeated the City’s goals while steering clear of zoning.
The atmosphere grew heated when a resident pulled no punches while questioning Gold on his intentions for the property in response to suggestions that he consider rebuilding the site with housing above the restaurants. A larger project would take more time, cost more money, and result in a decrease of sunlight reaching Peterborough Street. A small number of hands went up when Wolf asked how many would want to see restaurants rebuilt as part of a larger project. Both Gold and his questioner were emotionally charged but simmered down after each had expressed his thoughts.

Boston City Council President Mike Ross, who represents the neighborhood on the council, spoke of how “the community came together in a unique and fast way. It is the small businesses, the small shops that make it special. The friends of the Fenway have a lot to do. We will get through this as a community, and we plan to expedite the permit process.” Talk of developing “bigger and better” was a sentiment supported by Mr. Ross, which set off an array of nonverbal reactions. State Representative Byron Rushing stated he was, “impressed by the turn-out and how helpful Councilor Ross’s Office has been”.

The happy news is that most of the restaurants have expressed the desire to return home to Peterborough Street. Jeff Zamiri of Sorento’s and the owners of Umi were not present to confirm their position. Jim of El Pelon stated, “I speak to my staff daily. They miss what they do and they miss the customers. Once we get the chance, we will be in there 24/7!” Osmin of Rod Dee Thai spoke softly but assured the crowd that, “we are making every effort to re-build and will be happy to see you all there”.

The son-in-law of the owner of Greek Isle echoed these sentiments, stating that, “we are definitely planning on re-opening. We love the neighborhood!” Bon Cleaners has received help from the Department of Neighborhood Development to find temporary space, and its owner said, “We are trying very hard to compensate those who lost their clothes.” Peggy Prentice spoke on behalf of Thorton’s Fenway Grille sharing that, “the outpouring of support has been amazing and we are going to rebuild ASAP!”

When will we see progress? I spoke with William Onuoha, Fenway liaison for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Affairs. He told me that, “as soon as Monty’s decisions are made, we as a city will push this process forward.” Gold later stated that he “was glad for all of the support. I want to get back as soon as I can. No one misses it more than me!”

People must remember that the property was his baby—seven cherished businesses burnt to the ground. He does not want to demolish the entire structure but will do what is necessary he learns the full requirements for rebuilding.

The clear lesson of this nightmare is that all the businesses were like family to the Fenway. Everyone suffered varied degrees of loss. The silent street, no longer filled with the aroma of food, is painfully still and void of the energy it exuded.

The Fenway offered plenty of support to the restaurants at this meeting, with representatives present from both the CDC and Fenway Civic Association. Also represented were the Boston Red Sox, the McKinley School, Burton’s Grill, Howard Johnson’s, Wingate Management, Fenway Community Health Center, and Trilogy. An endless trail of details needs to be investigated and Americans with Disabilities Act laws to be followed. Remaining unified during this dark, empty hiatus is going to be challenging. But as a community, the Fenway will create new life, joy, and laughter on Peterborough Street and look forward to a yummy future!

Don’t Plan on Finding It Anywhere Else

Jon Diamond, owner of Dorothy’s Boutique, standing
before a shelf of wigs. Photo by Tracey Cusick.

By Alison Barnet

Dorothy and Harold Diamond of Mattapan were newlyweds in 1947 when they opened their first off-price millinery store in Cambridge, which soon led to stores in Uphams Corner, Quincy, Malden, and Winter Street downtown—eleven locations in all. Dorothy’s Hat Fashions opened in front of the Christian Science Church in 1960, relocating up the block at 190 Mass. Ave. when the church complex was redesigned in the early ’70s. At the time, Mass. Ave. was largely black, and hats, pocketbooks and wigs were in demand.

Jon Diamond, the founders’ son and current owner, started working in the store part-time while in college, taking over with his brother Richard when their parents retired in 1985. (Dorothy, 83, and Harold, 90, live in Florida; Richard retired last summer.) The brothers inherited a typically ’70s shop with racks of stockings up the middle aisle, Sony Walkmen and (wired) phones on the walls, and wallpaper with green and blue flowers along the ceiling—still visible behind the wigs and masks. Jon saw that, although the neighborhood had changed, the store hadn’t and began catering to college students, stocking costumes and party items. He took on a Wizard of Oz theme.

In 1992 he took over the linen shop next door, broke through the wall, and packed it floor to ceiling with costumes, shoes, tights, scarves, socks, lingerie, and fishnet stockings with every size hole. The store has “a little something for everybody,” he says; in fact, “If We Don’t Have it, You Don’t Need it” is the slogan.

Don’t you need a plastic ax or a big white bone? How about a ball and chain for a friend’s bachelor’s party?
Holidays have become big business—so big that at Halloween the line outside Dorothy’s runs clear down the block.
Why not go to the party as Ella Mental or a Wacky ‘n’ Crazy Guy? How about a gold breast plate, suede chaps and vest, or garters with grenades on them?

Jon kept up the family tradition of hats and wigs, although not the church hats and conservative wigs his mother used to sell. Mariachi hats, propeller hats, and London Bobbie hats now take up one whole wall. Wigs range from ’70s shags to Surfer Dude to Ben Franklin to Japanese anime wigs in bright blue and pink. If you go to Yelp.com, says Jon, you’ll see that “On wigs, we come up number 1.”

Next to the wigs are eyelashes, beards, hair extensions, self-adhesive moustaches, character wigs, and aging kits. Why not throw a moustache party? Dorothy’s supplies a number of theater groups, including the Hasty Pudding Club, Huntington Theatre, and Boston Conservatory. Female impersonator Ryan Landry just bought eight wigs for his current show at Machine in the West Fens.

Dorothy’s is fondly known as “the drag queen’s shop.” “A man can become an instant woman at Dorothy’s,” says Jon. A Soultress wig, eyelashes, and “big shoes” will do it. Dorothy’s selection of “Pleasers/Sexier than ever” shoes include a pair of clear plastic platforms with little ducks swimming in blue water inside. One outrageous shoe often props Dorothy’s front door open.

A customer comes up to the counter holding vinyl hip boots almost as tall as he is. A young woman buys a cowboy hat, a bandanna and sunglasses. Jon asks a man paying for a doctor’s lab coat if he’d like a stethoscope, a headpiece, or maybe some blood to go with it—Dorothy’s carries several kinds.

At Dorothy’s, you quickly become apprised of the latest fads. Some, such as rainboots in frog, lady bug and lobster patterns, are tame, but how about theatrical contact lenses that turn your eyes into Red Wolf, White Cat, Flower Power, or Computer? “It’s the most extreme item we have in terms of changing your persona,” says Jon, adding that the people who buy them tend to buy several. Not the crowd that comes in to replace their watch batteries!

Jon’s background is as eclectic as his merchandise. He studied forestry and park management, working five years in western Mass. In the late 1970s, he opened a wind-surfing sailing school in Florida, supplementing his income with bartending, and just prior to taking over Dorothy’s, he managed a restaurant.

Like many business owners these days, Jon is weighing alternatives. Dorothy’s already offers online shopping, but maybe he’ll make it 100% Internet. Maybe he’ll build a fantasy dungeon in the basement. One thing likely to happen soon is a loft in the back of the store for the exotic items—Dorothy’s needs more space.

Meanwhile, St. Patrick’s Day is upon us. How can you live without a leprechaun hat and a beer-can necklace? What about a pair of those theatrical creepers peepers?

Dorothy’s hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sunday 12:00–6:00 p.m. Visit www.dorothysboutique.biz.

Lucy Wheelock’s Kindergarten College

By Elizabeth Gills

She was so tiny that it was said that she could have fit into someone’s pocket. But Lucy Wheelock was large in ideas.
Daughter of a minister and educator, Lucy was encouraged to further her limited Vermont schooling. Her father arranged for her to prepare for college at Chauncy Hall, a private school located in Copley Square. The principal, a friend of her father, allowed her to keep the school records in exchange for her tuition.

One day she looked in on a kindergarten class held in the same building. That was the moment when she knew that she wanted to teach young children. She talked with Elizabeth Peabody who had founded the first formal American kindergarten. She was advised to take a training class to become a kindergartner, as such a teacher was called. There was one other student but the instructor “taught with the same zeal as if we numbered 200.”

After completing her one-year class Wheelock was hired to teach the kindergarten at Chauncy Hall. She had bright sunny rooms and taught the children the wonders of seeing their plants grow. She installed a sand box which was something of a novelty at the time. This was the idea of Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, who had a major influence on education. He felt that children needed to explore their environment and use imagination in their play. It was he who coined the word kindergarten, meaning children’s garden.

The desire for kindergartens blossomed in the mid-1800s. Pauline Agassiz Shaw, daughter of the renowned scientist, Louis Agassiz, developed sixteen free kindergartens at her own expense. When Boston introduced kindergarten classes in 1888 she donated hers to the city schools.

Wheelock’s reputation had grown by this time so that the Boston schools asked her to train more teachers. In 1889 six students graduated. Several years later the school moved out of its one room in Chauncy Hall into a building on Dartmouth Street. There was a dormitory with three students.

Over the years the school was transformed from a small training program into what is now Wheelock College, located on The Riverway. It now grants bachelor’s and master’s degrees and sponsors the Wheelock Family Theatre.

One famous alumna was Margaret Hamilton, who taught for a few years and then became an actress known for her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

By Pamela King

Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the creation of a task force in January that will reevaluate the payment in lieu of taxes system (PILOT), a program that has been a source of contention in the Boston area.

According to Menino’s press release, the task force will bring together a representative pool of leaders from nonprofit institutions across various sectors; Stephen Kidder, an attorney at Hemenway & Barnes and a former commissioner of the Department of Revenue, will serve as the group’s chairman. The group’s goal, as articulated by Menino, is not only about generating revenue—it is about creating equity in the PILOT system.

Spokesmen for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Wentworth Institute of Technology, two institutions that will be represented in Menino’s task force, were unable to say what goals their delegates might have. Jamie Kelly, director of public affairs at Wentworth said it would be “premature to pre-judge what would be an equitable plan that the group can come up with.”

Whatever an equitable agreement might look like, one great achievement of the task force would be to make PILOT consistent. “There hasn’t necessarily been a standard [method of payment],” said Nick Martin, a spokesman for Menino’s office. As of now, payment agreements are made on a case-by-case basis, taking into account non-monetary contributions and the role the institutions play in the community.

Menino’s press release specified that contributions “from in-kind services to scholarships and other community opportunities” will be considered in creating the new payment formula.

Shirley Kressel, a landscape architect and urban designer from the Back Bay, said her hope for the task force is that the members will be able to develop a consistent and comprehensive policy. Although she believes the task force’s goal to be equitable is the correct one, she is concerned that non-monetary contributions are given too much weight in determining payments. Commonly cited non-monetary contributions that nonprofit institutions provide are employment opportunities and involvement in community improvement.

“Any business makes those donations,” Kressel said. Following that line of reasoning, she said, all businesses could be a part of the PILOT program. “What do [nonprofit institutions] offer? What do they cost us?” Kressel said, citing another point of controversy—institutions enjoy the benefits of city police and fire departments, but they do not pay taxes that fund these services.

This, said City Councilor Stephen Murphy, is where the employment opportunity argument falls apart. Income tax goes to the state government while property taxes fund city services. Since most of the people employed by these institutions commute to the city, the municipal government is not collecting property taxes on these employees. Boston is losing money through the PILOT program, and residents of the city are burdened with paying more property taxes to compensate for this lack of funds. “There’s a huge inequity there,” said Murphy.

The closest the city has come to standardizing PILOT payments was Murphy’s formula to get nonprofit institutions to pay 25 percent of the rate determined after assessing the land and building values.

Murphy estimates that if property held by nonprofits were taxed at regular rates, the city would receive $400 to $500 million in taxes each year from nonprofit institutions. Applying the 25 percent standard would mean the institutions would pay $100 to $125 million in PILOT. Instead, the program generates just $10.7 million for the city of Boston. The problem with this method of determining contributions is that the payments are still challengeable, and even then PILOT is voluntary.

Murphy said his hope for the task force is that it will overhaul the PILOT system and “get these major players to pony up.” As to how the participants in the task force will achieve this, he said, “It’s going to be an interesting process.”

Members of the PILOT task force include:

Robert Brown, President, Boston University
Zorica Pantić, President, Wentworth Institute of Technology
Patricia McGovern, General Counsel & Senior VP for Corporate and Community Affairs, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Thomas Glynn, Chief Operating Officer, Partners Healthcare
Gail Latimore, Executive Director, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
James D. Gallagher, Senior VP of Communications, Government and Community Relations, John Hancock Financial Services
Stephen Kidder, Attorney, Hemenway & Barnes LLP (Chair of the task force)
Thomas Nee, President, Boston Police Patrolman’s Association
Stephen Murphy, Councilor, Boston City Council