On June 25, the Charlestown Neighborhood Council and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MassPike) sponsored a meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall at which developers presented their proposals for Central Artery North Area Parcels 3 and 6.
According to a Request for Proposals issued by the MassPike in March, Parcel 3 is an approximately 42,900 square foot, triangular plot located along Route 1 between Putnam and Chestnut streets and Parcel 6 is an approximately 5,000 square foot, rectangular plot at the corner of City Square, Rutherford Avenue and Harvard Street. Development rights for Parcels 3 and 6 are for being offered for “long-term ground leases,” the RFP states. (The MassPike has already entered into leases for CANA Parcels 1, 2 and 4).
A total of six parcels and City Square Park were created during the MassPike’s CANA Project, which “rebuilt the approaches to the Tobin Bridge and portions of the new interchange between Route 1 and I-93,” the RFP states. As part of the construction, the elevated bridge and Charlestown access connections were removed and reconstructed below grade at City Square. The project was completed in 1997, and the newly created parcels were deeded to the MassPike board of directors for lease or sale the following year.

CANA Parcel 3 proposals
Nova Realty Partners, a development team led by trustee J. Dennis Morgan and project manager Vahid Nickpour, have proposed Warren Court, consisting of 16 three-bedroom, one-family townhouses. Parking accommodations would include 38 at-grade spaces, six of which would be designated as visitors’ spaces.
N & P Associates, whose principals have revitalized real estate in greater Boston for the past 15 years, has proposed 41 one-, two- and three-bedroom flats in a 15,000 square-foot , multi-family building. Parking accommodations would include more than 40 below-grade spaces and 20 at-grade spaces.
Warren Green LLC, a development team consisting of local developer George Georges, Jack French, president of Monument Square-based Neshamkin French Architects, Inc., and Charlestown architect Rusty Sergeant, have proposed 22 residential units, including 12 townhouses sited on a public green and two two-family and three three-family homes on Warren Street. (French and Sergeant had collaborated on another proposal for CANA Parcel 3 in 1999). Parking provisions would include 41 spaces, 32 of which would be located in an on-site, underground garage. The proposal also allows for an additional six at-grade neighborhood spaces or a community-based open space at the rear of the site, depending on a consensus of residents.

CANA Parcel 6 proposals
N & P Associates submitted a proposal for nine residential units. Parking accommodations would include five standard spaces and four compact spaces in a sub-grade garage.
Boston development firm Urbanica, Inc. submitted plans to build either an office building or a boutique hotel. An undetermined number of parking spaces for the development would be located off site.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the CNC Development Committee voted to draft a letter to MassPike that would provide comments and summarize community concerns for each proposal. Once finalized and approved by the CNC members in attendance, the letter will be made available to the Patriot-Bridge for publication.
To view the proposals and summaries of the proposals for CANA Parcels 3 and 6, visit http://www.masspike.com/business/cana_parcels3_6_rfp.html.
To submit written comments on the proposals, e-mail realestate@masspike.com (please not CANA Parcels 3 & 6 in the subject line) or send via U.S. mail to Planning and Development Department, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4160, Boston, MA 02116 attn: CANA Parcels 3 & 6.

On June 6, students from the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School visited and performed at EF Education in Cambridge. During the year, volunteers from EF Education help out with a math league for the students, serving as coaches. The visibility and consistency of seeing an adult role model is big for the children. In the last few years, the EF volunteers also served as tutors at the school and now the students also travel to EF, to meet with the largest employer in Cambridge. The EF building itself excites them because it has a restaurant and glass walkways, as well as open space and great views of the city. Now, every year, the kids bring their chorus, band and step team to perform at EF. and the employees collect donations at the event, raising a lot of money for the school. This year, they also brought the cheerleading team.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: The Edwards School step team.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Terrence Booth and Chris Baker play their trumpets.

Suffolk Construction of Boston recently celebrated the official opening of the Charlestown Recovery House with Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Charlestown Recovery House board of directors, State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty, local government officials and many local residents attending a grand opening celebration.
Suffolk managed construction of the new $3.5 million, 25-bed recovery facility that consists of 10,650 square foot adjacent to the Tobin Bridge. Suffolk completed the project in just five months, approximately one month ahead of the original schedule, and also delivered the project under budget. Suffolk provided preconstruction services pro bono. The project owner is Charlestown Recovery House, Inc. and the architect on the project was Dooling Woodbrier Architects, Inc. of Newton.
The new Charlestown Recover House facility will provide a safe haven for men recovering from alcohol and drug addictions. The facility will also provide counseling and assistance in finding long-term housing and employment opportunities. The idea for a recovery house was initially conceived in 1993, in response to a lack of addiction services in Charlestown. The Charlestown Recovery House board of directors was formalized in 1997 and worked for approximately 10 years to secure funding, identify a usable parcel of land in Charlestown, and complete zoning and permitting requirements.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Richard DeCoste, principal of Dooling Woodbrier Architects, Inc of Newton; Jim Travers, president of the Charlestown Recovery House; Brian Senk, superintendent of Suffolk Construction; and Chris Gedrich, project executive for Suffolk Construction.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Tommy Howard, co-founder of the Charlestown Recovery House; Mayor Thomas M. Menino; and Brian Senk, superintendent of Suffolk Construction.

USS Constitution is holding the annual Sunset Parade at Pier One in the Charlestown Navy Yard on Saturday, July 5, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public
The "static" parade, in which the audience remains seated while drum and fife groups march in front of them to perform in sequence, will feature live music and live gunfire, courtesy of the Old Ironsides' port saluting battery.
"This is an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate the America's heritage, while being educated and entertained by local drum and fife groups in early-American attire," said USS Constitution's 70th and current commanding officer, Cmdr. William A. Bullard III. "It is a fitting way to commemorate our nation's 232nd birthday during the 27th annual Boston Harborfest."
The Lincoln Minute Men, Middlesex County 4-H Fife and Drum Corps, Boston Police Gaelic Column, Deep River Junior Ancient Fife and Drum Corps and 1812 Marines are among the groups scheduled to appear. The event will conclude with the USS Constitution master gun team's demonstration of the loading and firing sequence on a replica War of 1812-era 5,600-lb long gun.
At 210 years old, the three-masted, wood-hulled frigate USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world, manned by a crew of more than 74 active duty U.S. Navy Sailors, and visited by nearly half a million tourists a year.
To learn more about USS Constitution and the Sunset Parade, visit the Web site at www.ussconstitution.navy.mil.