TBHA's Winter Walk Explores 
New HarborWalk Sites

The new lobby at one Marina Park Drive.

On 13 January 2010, TBHA together with WalkBoston led a tour of the newest sites on the HarborWalk between the ICA and the New England Aquarium. At One Marina Park Drive, TBHA Executive Director Vivien Li led attendees into the finished ground floor which one of Newbury Street's most popular stores, Louis Boston, will briefly occupy in early spring 2010. The attendees' attention was directed to the luxurious detail of the lobby, which includes an elaborate floor of imported marble and specially designed ceiling lighting.

Louis Boston will move from the lobby to this low-rise building when it is  completed later this year.

The store will stay in the ground floor of the building until construction is completed of a new low-rise building later this year . The building is part of an effort towards generating more activity in the area, and will house several new restaurants and stores in the coming year.

The tour also visited the new public green on the Fan Pier, another part of the Fan Pier development project, and viewed an interpretive display of the old rail terminal at the Fan Pier. The last stop on the HarborWalk was the new Marine Mammal Facility at the New England Aquarium, where attendees looked in through the glass walls to see the fur seals.

Tour Attendees peer through the glass walls of the
 Marine Mammal Pavilion at the New England Aquarium. 

Celebrating First Night 2010 on Boston Harbor

Thousands greeted the 2010 New Year on Boston's waterfront. The 
Boston Harbor Association, with support and assistance of First Night Boston, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events, coordinated a series of special events along Boston Harbor. 

The celebration began on 31 December at 11:45 a.m. with a dramatic water-display by Massport's fireboat and ended after 12:30 a.m. on New Year's Day when the last passengers disembarked from a special midnight cruise to view the fireworks over Boston Harbor.

From 12 noon to 4 p.m., the public had a rare opportunity to board the Boston Pilot Association's CHELSEA boat and to tour the U.S. Coast Guard's newest response boat, both of which were docked at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse. 

Dozens went out for a mid-day cruise on Boston Harbor, while others enjoyed the newest facility of public accommodation at Independence Wharf, and children participated in free craft activities at the Fort Point Arts Community Store. 

Visitors marveled at ice sculptures at the New England Aquarium, and took advantage of "First Night" discounts at the Aquarium, ICA Museum, Boston Children's Museum, as well as at waterfront hotels including the Boston Harbor Hotel, Fairmont Battery Wharf, InterContinental Boston, Marriott Long Wharf, Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Seaport Hotel, and Westin Boston Waterfront. Old Town Trolley Tours shuttled First Night button holders around the waterfront, thanks to support from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, while City Water Taxi brought the public from East Boston to Long Wharf/Quincy Market.

Harbor Bound Fall Season: 
Teaching Sustainability

New renewable energy wind turbine on Deer Island.

Fulfilling its mission to educate the next generation of harbor stewards about a sustainable harbor, The Boston Harbor Association completed its successful fall "Harbor Bound" season on 28 October. This season TBHA introduced a new element to the tours - an overview of environmental sustainability on Deer Island, showcasing the extraordinary efforts of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to generate 30% renewable energy by 2020.

This fall, students from the Mary E. Curley Middle School in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester Academy, and Boston Latin School learned about sustainability first-hand. They had the opportunity to see two 190-foot high wind turbines that were installed in August 2009 and will generate over 2 million kW hours per year. They also learned about the roof mounted photovoltaic system and lighting improvements, both of which promote sustainability by using energy-saving power.

The students received an introduction to the MWRA's Department of Laboratory Science by Director Michael F. Delaney. Dr. Delaney explained how scientists conduct water quality testing and provided an overview of his educational background. The MWRA lab tests water quality daily, including from the beaches.

On a lighter note, the students were amused to learn of Deer Island's appeal as a movie set, most recently as a location for the filming of "The Box" which opened in theaters during the fall.

The Boston Harbor Association would like to thank the staff at MWRA for their support including tour guides Nadia Caines, Richard Dalton and Tom DeRossier and Mass Bay Lines for their ongoing support of "Harbor Bound." If you are interested in participating spring, 2010, please contact TBHA at mail@tbha.org.

New Parks and Plants HarborWalk Tours

TBHA Deputy Director Patrice Todisco and landscape architect
David Warner lead the HarborWalk group along a 
verdant path along Moakley Courthouse.

HarborWalk tour participants got a first hand view on Tuesday, 20 October of two vibrant landscapes along Fort Point Channel and Boston Harbor. These “urban gardens” reflect the advocacy work of The Boston Harbor Association in promoting public access and public amenities along the waterfront. TBHA Deputy Director Patrice Todisco and landscape architect David Warner led a group of over twenty participants to view the landscape design around the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse and the Boston Children’s Museum.

Participants explored the seaside park next to the Moakley Courthouse, and learned that landscape architects Laurie Olin and Carol Johnson, along with architect Harry Cobb, designed the park collaboratively. The park is meant to showcase how civic buildings and civic space can be utilized together to create an extraordinary result. The tour group walked through and learned about the park’s promenade, loggia, great lawn, and harbor garden, which principally features native plants that flourish in the harsh waterfront environment. Participants also viewed the park’s interpretive signage, and learned that the plants accentuate the designers’ intent to create an environment that stimulates “our senses and spirit and educates our minds about Boston’s encounter between land and sea.”

During the next part of the tour, the group visited the wharf and plaza at the Boston Children’s Museum, designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. The plaza functions as the Museum’s “front yard,” and is a major destination along the Fort Point Channel for festivals and events. The tour guides pointed out some intriguing elements of the area that make it stand out as unique and fun amidst its urban environment: distinctive paving patterns, massive granite boulders, and a native plant garden designed to be a child-scale experience of nature.

The Boston Harbor Association plans to host a series of new HarborWalk tours in the spring highlighting parks, gardens and open spaces. 

Marine Debris: Mission Accomplished 
for Summer, 2009!

Boston Harbor became cleaner this summer, thanks to The Boston Harbor Association’s annual Marine Debris Removal and Prevention Project. Clean-up boats operated by on-water contractor Boston Line & Service Co. were on the harbor from June through October, 2009, scooping up over 2,000 plastic wrappers, almost 2,000 styrofoam cups, about 1,500 paper cups and plastic bottles, as well as floating pilings. Plastics were recycled as part of the program’s environmental sustainability efforts. 

Given the heavy rains in June which washed much debris into the harbor, this summer’s efforts were particularly appreciated by visitors to the Tall Ships celebration and by swimmers, boaters, and marine life. Special thanks to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the City of Boston, Massport, and Eastern Salt Company for their generous funding of this year’s program.

TBHA Advocacy Leads to a More Sustainable
 and Enjoyable HarborWalk 

Fan Pier Park

Summer 2009 volunteer Julia Vermeulen, a high school senior at Noble and Greenough School, surveyed the entire existing HarborWalk in Boston's six waterfront neighborhoods. Assisted on some days by Magaly Salazar (whose MLK Scholar internship was supported by John Hancock Financial Services), Julia noted improvements made to the HarborWalk in the last year- such as the new HarborWalk segment built as part of the new office building at 

Fan Pier Lobby

One Marina Park Drive (lobby shown) and a new Public Green (see photo above), both part of the Fan Pier development project. The survey highlights HarborWalk additions including new docks at Russia Wharf and Battery Wharf, as well as segments which need additional maintenance or attention. Results of the full survey will be available in November.

Julia's work is the basis of TBHA's advocacy this fall for signage and maintenance along the HarborWalk. Beacon Capital, owner of 253 

Summer Street on the Fort Point Channel, has been making much-needed repairs to its seawall and, in the process, looking at ways to make its HarborWalk segment more accessible. 

Beacon Capital will add new environmentally sustainable lighting to this existing portion  of the HarborWalk.

Working with TBHA, Beacon Capital's Senior Managing Director Doug Mitchell and Vice-President Zeina Grinnell are adding HarborWalk signs as well as environmentally-sustainable lighting to make the 

HarborWalk segment more "user-friendly" (see photo of existing HarborWalk). The new compact fluorescent lighting fixtures are more energy efficient than the old high-pressure sodium fixtures.

At the Boston Children's Museum, Interim-President David Ellis and Museum Vice President Charlayne Murrell-Smith are focusing on maintenance issues TBHA noted in a September, 2009 letter. A landscape company has been busy pruning the larger trees on the Museum's wharf (see photo), and new HarborWalk signs to replace missing signs will be installed during the first week of October.

Landscapers trim trees near the Boston Children’s Museum on the HarborWalk.

To ensure that the newly-opened HarborWalk segment on Dorchester Avenue is well maintained, TBHA met with Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Vice President Dana Warren and the Bank’s Director of Facility Paul Gusmini. As a good neighbor, the Bank has agreed to assume routine (not capital) maintenance of the new segment. 

TBHA’s Water Transportation Initiative

Under the direction of Co-Chairs Charles Norris and Al Raine, the Water Transportation Working Group of The Boston Harbor Association has completed a White Paper on water transportation management and governance issues. This work has taken on increased relevancy as changes in the Commonwealth's transportation agencies have created an uncertain future for water transportation, shifting the focus from strengthening and expanding the current system to preserving existing routes, and avoiding reduction or elimination of service. The Water Transportation Working Group is working on a second White Paper focused on the future of Ferries as Transit. In the interim, the current White Paper is being provided to David D’Alessandro, who is preparing an independent review of the MBTA operations, and to Jeffrey Mullan, incoming Secretary and CEO of the newly created MassDOT. The new Water Transportation pavilion at Battery Wharf, which provides a seated waiting area for water transportation, was constructed as a result of TBHA’s advocacy.

A water taxi prepares to depart from the New Water
Transportation pavilion at Battery Wharf.

TBHA Concludes a Successful “Back to the Beaches” Season with Carson Beach Clean-Up

A group of the 22 volunteers from John Hancock Financial Services takes a break from cleaning up the beach with DCR’s Carson Beach supervisor Jack Kelly.

On 26 August 2009 TBHA concluded a very successful “Back to the Beaches” summer season at Carson Beach in South Boston with a volunteer crew of 22 dedicated workers from John Hancock Financial Services. Working under the direction of Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) site supervisor Jack Kelly, the group improved pedestrian routes contiguous to the beach, removed invasive species, and cleaned trash from the shoreline. 

Carson Beach, which is accessible from the Red Line, is heavily used and depends upon volunteer efforts to enhance the maintenance capabilities of the DCR staff. Kudos to John Hancock's volunteers for lending their support!

Designed to connect people to the Harbor, TBHA's "Back to the Beaches" programs are generously supported by the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. This summer TBHA conducted four "Back to the Beaches" cruises to the newest Boston Harbor beach on Spectacle Island.

To plan for next season, TBHA conducted an on-line survey of program attendees and discovered that 84% of the respondents were highly satisfied with their TBHA experience and 87% would recommend the program they attended to a friend or colleague. Participants suggested longer and more frequent trips to Spectacle Island and its beach, expansion of TBHA programming, and improvements to the audio component of the boat cruises.

What’s New on the HarborWalk

Dorchester Avenue Renovations
A new HarborWalk segment along Dorchester Avenue between the Congress and Summer Street Bridges, across from the Federal Reserve Bank, opened to the public Labor Day weekend. Featuring granite paving, benches, ornamental lighting and shade trees, this “mini” plaza affords a lovely view of Fort Point Channel and is a welcome amenity for the Fort Point neighborhood. Tree planting will be completed in October 2009. TBHA was a party to the intervenor in the Chapter 91 License for the Central Artery Project’s Fort Point Channel activities, which resulted in this HarborWalk requirement as part of the project’s mitigation measures. In recent months, TBHA has been working closely with Fort Point neighbors and the Seaport Transportation Management Association to ensure completion of this HarborWalk segment in 2009. 

Visitors may now enjoy new trees, benches, and lighting on the new section
of the HarborWalk along Dorchester Avenue, which approaches completion.

The energy-efficient wind turbine powers the lighting that illuminates three interpretive panels on Long Wharf.

Norman B. Leventhal’s “Walk to the Sea” New Wind Turbine
An energy-efficient wind turbine has been added on the HarborWalk at Long Wharf as part of sustainability efforts. The turbine powers the lighting that illuminates the three interpretive panels featured on Long Wharf as part of the final stop on Norman B. Leventhal’s “Walk to the Sea.” On 25 September 2008, TBHA’s Executive Director Vivien Li joined Mayor Menino for the dedication the “Walk to the Sea,” a fascinating journey from the State House to Long Wharf that teaches about the history of Boston Harbor and its connection to Downtown Boston. TBHA’s advocacy for sustainable additions along the HarborWalk contributed to the construction of the new turbine.

Fan Pier Development Project
A new office building located at One Marina Park Drive on the Fan Pier is under construction, and will be open later this year. Construction is also underway on a new Public Green near the building. HarborWalk goers will soon be able to enjoy newly planted trees and grass.

Newly planted trees and grass color the HarborWalk in the
 new park next to the new office building.

Construction continues on the lobby of the new office building at One Marina Way.

TBHA’s Newest HarborWalk Tour: Environmental Sustainability along Boston’s Waterfront

The Boston Harbor Association’s 4 August 2009 HarborWalk tour focused on one of the organization’s top priorities, a Greener Boston Harbor. During the 90- minute tour, more than 25 participants visited three sites along the South Boston waterfront which are working to promote an environmentally sustainable Boston Harbor.

At the Boston Children’s Museum, participants viewed a portion of the museum’s “green roof” (see photo above), and learned that last year’s visitors helped with the roof’s plantings. Boston Children’s Museum is the first “green” museum in Boston, and incorporated storm water reclamation into its building expansion to reduce run-off into the Fort Point Channel.

At Manulife/ John Hancock Financial Services building, TBHA HarborWalk tour participants (see photo) viewed the innovative double-skin curtainwall, which in conjunction with the building’s high efficiency mechanical systems is reducing heating and cooling energy consumption by as much as 6% annually. The stepped design of the building’s 12th floor incorporates a “green roof” feature, allowing for better insulation and improved stormwater run-off.

The Manulife building offers spectacular  views of the South Boston waterfront,   including the Fish Pier.

At the Fish Pier on Northern Avenue, participants learned about Massport’s efforts to provide fishing vessels with electric shore power. Currently there are two stations at the Fish Pier where four users can use on-shore power, and funding has just been provided to expand shore power to the remaining fishing vessels. This will allow all fishing vessels to have access to electric power, rather than using their boat engines or on-board diesel generators which tend to generate more emissions.

Cruise Ships Frequent Port of Boston:
Experience the Excitement 
of the 2009 Cruise Season

Queen Mary II docked at Black Falcon Cruise Terminal on 4 October.

It’s a busy time of year at Black Falcon Cruise terminal! On 4 October 2009, you may have noticed two huge cruise ships docked at the Port of Boston: Queen Mary II and Carnival Triumph. The vessels are part of two of the fifteen major cruise lines that frequent the port: Carnival Cruise Lines and the Cunard Line. Boston is currently in the midst of the exciting 2009 cruise season, which runs from April through November and features more than 100 vessel calls. The majestic ships carry passengers to all kinds of destinations: north along the magnificent New England and Canadian coastline, south to the pink, sandy beaches of Bermuda, or east across the vast Atlantic to Europe.

Carnival Triumph visits the Port of Boston.