A LETTER FROM THE WHARF DISTRICT COUNCIL PRESIDENT MARC MARGULIES, FAIA, LEED AP
What’s happening in the Wharf District?
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!
I must express my sincere appreciation for the incredible support and the dedicated efforts of the Wharf District Council members and volunteers. A host of community-minded residents, businesses, and property owners are working together for the benefit of our Wharf District: continually planning for future neighborhood improvements; dealing with issues and areas of concern; and ensuring the Wharf District is a resilient, inclusive, and equitable neighborhood. It is my pleasure to lead a group that demonstrates such cooperation and embraces teamwork.
LEADERSHIP CHANGES
At our last meeting, our WDC leadership team made some changes. After 13 years as our Treasurer (MANY thanks Chris), Chris Fincham offered his retirement, and Martha Laposata was elected by the members to be our new treasurer. Likewise, Matthew Murphy, Managing Director of Boston Harbor City Cruises, was elected Vice President. We look forward to Martha and Matthew’s leadership as we continue to advocate for the interests of the Wharf District’s residents, businesses, property owners, and institutions. We thank Kelly Roche for continuing to serve as the WDC Clerk.
STATE STREET SUPPORT
Not all that we do meets with immediate success. Our community has been vociferous in our objection to the City’s current plan to convert State Street to a single vehicular lane, but we have not yet succeeded in convincing them that the traffic consequences will be disastrous. We presented an alternative plan for safer bike routes (both East and West), wider sidewalks, better loading/short-term parking, and more trees/street amenities, but to no avail. The conversation continues; we need your support!
WHARF DISTRICT CLIMATE RESILIENCE TASK FORCE (WDCRTF)
Our WDCRTF, with the consulting help and leadership of ARUP, is scheduled to produce a Wharf District Council Conceptual District Protection and Resiliency Masterplan. This is made possible thanks to the efforts of our State Representative, Aaron Michlewitz, enabling the WDC to receive a $250,000 state earmark and to the contributions by our waterfront and Wharf District property owners and businesses.
Briefly stated, the Wharf District neighborhood, both on the waterfront and in-land beyond the Greenway, must be protected from current and projected future coastal flood events and sea level rise. The WDCRTF is coordinating with city and state regulators and property owners in a public-private partnership to create a conceptual district-scale protection and resiliency plan along the waterfront, from Christopher Columbus Park to the Congress Street Bridge.
The engineering study, currently being worked on is a collaborative effort between all of the waterfront property owners and stakeholders to provide the information necessary to ultimately agree upon the height and location of a connected barrier to keep rising sea levels from destroying the billions of dollars of public infrastructure beyond the current water’s edge. Armed with this technical information, the conversation about the private property and the public realm along the waterfront will be able to progress toward designs that are realistic, resilient, inclusive and equitable. Needless to say, this is a long-term project, but we have no choice, and we have to keep up the momentum. The irrefutable challenge to Boston’s waterfront is, frankly, daunting.
SPECIAL THANKS TO SUSANNE
Finally, we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Susanne Lavoie, who has been the mainstay of our organization since its founding in 2010 She works to build and maintain working WDC relationships among the WDC members and volunteers; with our state and municipal leadership: and with other neighborhood organizations. She is wise, she is good natured, she is a connector, and she is a friend to all. We are SO LUCKY to have Susanne as our Executive Director!
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