A major difference between cities and towns is the level of activity found within their borders. Generally, cities are the busier, with the hustle and bustle of millions of people making their way to and through, the hum of business engines engaging in commerce and employing people, the arrival of new waves of immigrants from near and far, and the influence that more active local governments exert on them all – making it seem like there is always something happening in cities. Like it or not, Chelsea is a busy city that generates plenty of news to cover. As the page turns on another year, a review of the top 12 stories from ’12 certainly reveals that Chelsea continues to be a city in transition. Here’s a look at what people were talking about locally over the last 12 months.
A new $125 million bridge on Chelsea Street replaced the aging and, at times, unreliable former bridge that was built in the 1930s. Closed for more than a year and with lane restrictions prior to that, the construction activity disrupted commutes and commerce. Eighty-percent of the project was paid for by federal grants, with the State ponying up the other 20 percent and undertaking the project.
The new bridge is now open and has restored order to local traffic patterns. At more than 200 feet tall, the bridge has become a landmark that can be seen from office buildings and other higher elevation points for miles around. The new bridge also spans a wider channel, both horizontally and in depth, making it easier and safer for today’s larger shipping vessels to carry their products in and out of the Chelsea River.
What’s next: The reliability of the old bridge, which once was stuck up in the open position for several years during the 1970s, created a major psychological barrier that had inhibited development along Eastern Avenue and Marginal Street. City development officials believe the elimination of that barrier will help unlock the fullest potential for the conversion of the heavy industrial uses to higher and better development along that portion of the city’s waterfront.
What you may not have known: The Chelsea Street Bridge is the largest lift bridge of its kind in Massachusetts. Control of the bridge has been transferred from the City of Boston to the State Department of Transportation. A companion project, undertaken jointly by Massport and MassDOT, has opened up a haul road on the East Boston side of the bridge. The Marty Coughlin Haul Road will make it more convenient for commercial activity, including heavy trucking, to get directly in and out of Logan Airport.
Gary Martel was a relatively new resident who had become entrenched in civic activities. He was a central figure in the Governor Bellingham Cary House Association, a founding member of the Washington Avenue Gateway Association, a member of the City’s Planning Board and a frequent host of meetings and a widely attended holiday party at his beautiful Victorian home that was under painstaking renovation on Washington Avenue. All of that came crashing down on Martel, as he was arrested on securities fraud, accused of bilking clients of his various financial businesses out of more than $3 million dollars.
A collaboration led by The Neighborhood Developers and including Centro Latino, Bunker Hill Community College, Career Source, Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership and Metropolitan Credit Union launched CONNECT, a co-located bundling of programs aimed at improving skills and financial security of local residents. The Chelsea Collaborative made headlines outside of the city for returning financial support from a funder who may have sought to restrict the grassroots advocacy group’s efforts to support gay rights. Roca, a youth development organization that focuses on proven risk young men, was one of three selected by the State to lead a groundbreaking “pay for success” initiative. Instead of funding an agency and hoping for performance, the initiative rewards agencies for success by using a portion of the money otherwise saved through averting incarceration or other negative outcomes.
S Senator John Kerry brought US Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske to Chelsea for a drug discussion with City Manager Jay Ash, Police Chief Brian Kyes and their peers from surrounding communities. U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis was at The Neighborhood Developers to learn more about CONNECT and to address national labor issues. U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women Acting Director Bea Hanson visited HarborCOV to share information on federal and local efforts to combat domestic violence.
The City is considering a follow-up public relations campaign to build upon the positive coverage by those two highly regarded programs.
What you may not have known: Chelsea was once the feature of a less than flattering “60 Minutes” segment the dealt with the City going into State receivership in 1991. One can still catch that segment on the Internet’s YouTube website. The Chelsea Record and its editor Joshua Resnek is also featured in that segment as well.
The Chelsea Police Patrolman’s Union took its contract battle with the City public, writing letters to the editor, testifying before City Council meetings, dropping informational “tickets” on car windshields and even holding protest signs at the Zip Trip airing. The union, which is separate from the Police Superior Officer’s Union, even went as far as to issue a report that Chelsea was among, if not the most crime-riddled community in the country.
Global Oil proposed to deliver ethanol to its Revere facility via train. To do so, train cars, as many as 60 at a time, would travel through numerous communities, including Chelsea. The Chelsea Collaborative and City officials partnered to fight the proposal, citing safety concerns about the extremely volatile, alcohol-based product travelling through densely populated areas.
Although just outside the municipal borders, the official filing by Suffolk Downs for a full casino license could have a dramatic impact on Chelsea. That is, if Suffolk secures the license. One license can be issued in the eastern region of the state. While Suffolk has long been known to be interested in securing the license from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to build a $1 billion resort-style casino at the race track that has hosted legalized gambling on Route 1A for the last 75 years, others are looking elsewhere in Eastern Massachusetts for rival locations. Most recently, such a site was identified in Everett, although the potential proponent of that location, casino-mogul Steve Wynn, has yet to formally file a pre-application.
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