PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Jim DeVillis.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: One Thompson Square.

Upon returning from a business trip in California in 1996, Jim DeVillis opened The Boston Sunday Globe and was immediately struck by a photograph of the façade of One Thompson Square in an advertisement for the auction of the building. DeVillis set the newspaper on the stove in his Boston home and immediately drew up a check for $50,000 for a down payment, although he had never set foot inside the building and was unaware that it had a parking lot on the premises.
DeVillis was the last person to arrive at the auction, but he made the winning bid. Upon moving his office to One Thompson Square, he soon learned the history of the former bank building.
“I’ve run into so many people who say, ‘I put my first nickel in that bank,’” DeVillis said. “I’m lucky to have this.”
Born in East Cambridge, DeVillis earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Boston State College in 1965 before taking a position as a math teacher at Billerica Junior High School. DeVillis then taught in the Cambridge and Arlington public schools. In Arlington, DeVillis met Joe D’Alelio, a fellow math teacher who would go on to become DeVillis’ business partner for 38 years.
“We both wanted to get out of teaching for economic reasons,” DeVillis said. “We both had families.”
In 1969, DeVillis and D’Alelio were put on a list for a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise. “Not knowing anything about Dunkin’ Donuts, we ended up buying one in East Boston,” DeVillis said. “I knew nothing about franchises, and I’d never been in a Dunkin’ Donuts before.”
In 1973, DeVillis and D’Alelio bought a second Dunkin’ Donuts in Somerville’s Union Square. The business partners sold both stores in 1978 and purchased two Burger Kings with their profits. Around the same time, DeVillis and D’Alelio opened the first Donut Maker store in Reading, which grew to a five-store chain within three years.
By 1982, DeVillis and D’Alelio decided to get out of the Burger Franchise — a decision that came as a relief to DeVillis. “At Burger King, I went to work with a shirt and tie on. I hated it and was making no money,” DeVillis said. ”We were not doing the volume and had a high overhead. One of my worst mistakes was going into Burger King.”
While Burger King proved to be a disappointment for DeVillis and D’Alelio, business at the Donut Makers stores was booming and people soon started inquiring about franchises. By 1992, when DeVillis and D’Alelio sold Donut Maker to Dunkin’ Donuts, the chain included a total of 18 stores.
At this time, D’Alelio decided to retire at age 48, while DeVillis bought his first West Coast Video store with his nephew and another business partner. DeVillis and his partners owned eight West Coast Video stores by 1996 when the company decided to go public. DeVillis’ stores ended up fetching $4 million, which he used to buy the building at One Thompson Square.
DeVillis described his move to One Thompson Square as a great addition to his real estate portfolio, as well as his introduction to the “real Charlestown.”
“My experience at One Thompson Square has been a pleasure because all the people in the building are great,” DeVillis said.
In addition to an apartment complex in Malden and a building that is home to a pharmaceutical testing company in North Andover, Devillis’ portfolio now includes four shopping centers in Massachusetts and Maine.
“We look for older shopping centers that are in need of renovations,” DeVillis said. “We look for lost children, and we want eyesores.”
But even with all his success, DeVillis has no plans to retire.
“I still like working, but I do want to slow down a bit,” he said.

The North Washington Street Bridge is scheduled to undergo $1.5 million in repairs beginning in May, according to Dennis Royer, the City of Boston’s Chief of Public Works and Transportation.
Royer said this project aims to correct minor deficiencies that were uncovered when the city made emergency repairs to the bridge last year.
“This stuff happens all the time,” Royer said. “We have aging infrastructure. Bridges repairs are not only common in Boston, but throughout the country as well.”
If these minor deficiencies aren’t repaired, the city would have to reduce allowable weights on the bridge in the long term, Royer said.
As for the future of the bridge, the city plans to issue a Request for Proposals for the structure’s replacement.
“In November, the Massachusetts Highway Department informed us that it would not support a major rehabilitation, which means that we would be looking at replacing the bridge,” Royer said, added that he expects that it will take five to six years to complete the new bridge.
City Councilor at-Large Michael Flaherty is pleased with both the short- and long-term plans for the bridge.
"Any Charlestown resident will tell you that the structure and accessibility of the bridge is an immediate concern that needs to be addressed,” Flaherty said. “Measures must be taken to ensure drivers feel safe using the bridge.”
City Councilor Sal LaMattina, who chairs the city’s Transportation Committee, hopes that other bridges in the Commonwealth will now be renovated and replaced in a timely manner.
“The state and federal government have to step up to the plate,” LaMattina said. “It will end up costing us more money in the long run, with rising construction costs.”
Meanwhile, Congressman Mike Capuano, who has secured $4 million in federal funding specifically for the North Washington Street Bridge, pledged to raise more federal monies for the replacement project once it gets underway.
“I appreciate the efforts of city engineers to monitor the integrity of the North Washington Street Bridge — a structure that we all know has seen better days,” Capuano stated. “I look forward to quick repairs and the commencement of this long-overdue replacement project. I will work to obtain additional federal funding for the bridge as this important work begins.”

Emma Boutwell, age 5, sports her St. Patrick's Day hat on Warren Street Monday morning

CAPTION: Jack Kelly.

Jack Kelly, Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Charlestown liaison, has announced his candidacy for delegate to the National Democratic Party Convention, which takes place in Denver from Aug. 25 to 28.
“I want this election to be about Charlestown,” Kelly said. “I want to make this an opportunity for the people of Charlestown to get involved in the political process and also to show the people in the neighborhood that you can set a goal and it’s possible to achieve it.”
As a delegate, Kelly would represent the 8th Congressional District, which includes Cambridge, Chelsea, Somerville and Charlestown, as well as other Boston neighborhoods. The delegate will cast the official ballot in the Presidential election on behalf of the district’s constituents.
“Usually, [the delegate’s role] is just a formality, but it has a lot of importance this year since it’s coming down to the wire between Hillary Clinton and Barck Obama,” Kelly said.
Kelly views the Democratic Convention as a prime opportunity to promote Charlestown on the national level.
“Since people often argue that Charlestown doesn’t have a voice, this is a perfect opportunity to promote Charlestown not only on a local level, but on the national level,” Kelly said.
Kelly added, “If elected, I promise to promote Charlestown’s needs with all the people I meet at the National Democratic Party Convention in Denver.”
Registered voters can cast their votes for delegate at the 8th Congressional District Democratic caucus for Hillary Clinton at Bunker Hill Community College, 250 New Rutherford Ave., on Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m.
If you would like your name added to Kelly’s support list, email jackkellyfordelegate@gmail.com.

State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty sponsored his annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser at the Knights of Columbus Hall Friday night. The event featured entertainment courtesy of the Andy Healy Band, the Goulding School of Irish Dance and the Bunker Hill Pipes and Drums Band, K of C #62, as well as a full corned beef and cabbage dinner by Griffin Caterers.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Rep. O’Flaherty and his wife, Patricia.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Rep. O’Flaherty and Charlestown Neighborhood Council representative Dave Whelan.

PHOTO 3 CAPTION: Members of the Bunker Hill Pipes and Drums Band, K of C #62.

Construction of the remaining piece of the HarborWalk in the Navy Yard is at stake after the developer behind Building 114 couldn’t secure the necessary permits for its completion in a timely manner.
On Sept. 1, 2005, a limited liability company established by Building 114 developer Keen Development Corporation entered into an agreement with two Charlestown residents and the non-profit Conservation Law Foundation whereby the developer agreed to “take all reasonably necessary and diligent steps to obtain permits, licenses and approvals…to construct an exterior pedestrian walkway on the full length of the seaward side of Building 114.”
The agreement further mandated that the HarborWalk project be completed no later than Sept. 1, 2008, after special legislation that allowed for construction of the walkway was passed in 2006. In the case that the developer couldn’t secure the necessary permits by Dec. 31, 2007, it would donate $100,000 to a non-profit organization agreed upon by all parties involved to promote waterfront access in the Navy Yard.
Dan Taylor, the attorney for the estate of Bob Keuhn, the late president of the Keen Development Corporation who died on June 15, 2006, now proposes donating $100,000 to Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard, maintaining that all the necessary permits couldn’t be secured in the designated timeframe.
“My hope is that the two named individuals [in the 2005 agreement] and the Conservation Law Foundation will select Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard as the beneficiary of the $100,000,” Taylor said.
Michael Parker, chairman of Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard, isn’t banking on the donation yet, however.
"My understanding is that the proposed donation is to be used for the purpose of promoting waterfront access in lieu of building the walkway,” Parker said via email. “I also understand that there remains a difference of opinion between Mr. Kuehn's estate and the walkway's advocates as to whether the donation is appropriate at this time. The parties have worked long and hard on this issue for several years, and I sincerely hope that the end result of this is that the walkway is built in the near future.”
Meanwhile, Ed Dailey, the attorney for the Charlestown residents and the CLF, maintains that Keuhn’s estate hasn’t done all it could to secure permitting for the HarborWalk construction.
Though Keen Development Corporation was able to secure what Dailey describes as the most crucial permits needed to complete the project (Boston Conservation Commission Order of Conditions and a Chapter 91 amended license), he said that the developer wasn’t diligent in pursuing other necessary licenses, most notably approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“They have two licenses from the [Department of Environmental Protection] that require them to build it,” Dailey said. “The licenses are still in play, and they didn’t exercise sufficient diligence to have Dec. 31, 2007, as a cut-off.”
Taylor countered, “That’s simply not true. All permits were pursued diligently.” He added that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers defers to the Chapter 91 process, which wasn’t completed until Feb. 7 of this year.
Still, Dailey is confident that the two parties can strike an agreement and the HarborWalk will be completed.
“I remain hopeful that everyone involved will find a common ground here and we’ll get this done,” Dailey said. “The ultimate point is we’re not throwing rocks here. We’re trying to find a solution.”