Dennis Pultinas is a local arborist who volunteers his time along the Emerald Necklace.   This year he has been cutting bittersweet vine strangling beautiful mature trees on the Muddy River.  Removal of bittersweet and wild grape vines allows mature trees to flourish and helps native fauna to re-establish itself. 

​Last fall he started by the 66 Bus stop on Route 9, below the Jamaicaway overpass (see photo, right, taken from River Road looking over the Muddy, toward the overpass).  This spring he continued along the new bike path that runs parallel to Brookline Avenue, along River Road.  He also cut vines by the bridge by Netherlands Road.  The slideshow below shows the recent work along the new bike path.  

Thank you Dennis for your dedication to the health of our trees along the Muddy!

​MUDDY RIVER PROJECT WINS BUILD AMERICA AWARD
​USACE, New England District The Muddy River Flood Risk Management and Environmental Restoration Project in Boston, Massachusetts has been honored with the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America’s Alliant Build America Award.  For more information about the award and project:
http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Portals/74/docs/YankeeEngineer/2017/March2017.pdf?ver=2017-03-03-142850-913

​CARLTON STREET FOOTBRIDGE
Work on the construction plans, specifications, and cost estimate (PS&E) for the Rehabilitation of the Carlton Street. Footbridge is currently moving from a 75 % submittal towards a 100% complete set of bid documents scheduled to be submitted for review and comment to Mass DOT this summer, 2017. The project is slated to be administered and funded by MassDOT with anticipated construction bid, award and start dates in Federal Fiscal Year 2018. In the meantime, Brookline is finalizing right-of-way agreements with the MBTA and Boston. Following footbridge construction, Brookline will undertake supplemental plantings immediate to the footbridge and overlook under the landscape guidance of Pressley Associates.

DUKAKIS DEDICATION AT LONGWOOD
Tuesday, June 13 at 1:30 p.m. has been set for the formal opening of the Dukakis Dedication Site. Brookline’s Department of Parks and Open Space installed the plantings from the Pressley design at the Longwood T station late in 2016 and they appear to have wintered over nicely. They will be installing the granite plaza and plinth shortly, along with a few more trees and minor plantings. The plinth acknowledges Michael and Kitty Dukakis’s unwavering support in restoring and maintaining the Emerald Necklace and lists the donors that contributed to this project. The Friends of the Muddy River have volunteered to help maintain this site. After the plantings have been well established, we will be weeding and picking up trash on a regular basis. There are other volunteer maintenance opportunities for our members, such as at the horse trough planter on Brookline Avenue and the riverbank along Brookline Avenue to River Road. We plan to soon establish a program of coordinating volunteer events on our web site.

​MUDDY RIVER WALK
On Sunday, April 2, Fran Gershwin of the Management and Maintenance Oversight Committee (MMOC) of the Muddy River Restoration Project conducted a walk along the Brookline side of the Muddy River from the Longwood T station to Leverett Pond. This walk was part of Brookline’s annual Climate Week and sponsored by the Friends of the Muddy River. Approximately 30 people participated in the walk. A similar walk event was held last year at the now completed Justine Mee Liff Park, Phase 1 of the Muddy River Restoration Project. Phase 2 consists of partial dredging and environmental restoration of the river from the Back Bay Fens to Leverett Pond. The Army Corps of Engineers shared their 65% design drawings for this project, and this document along with simpler, more illustrative sketches of this work produced by the staff of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy are available for viewing at the Shattuck Visitors Center, 125 the Fenway. These documents show that the dredging operation is not a continuous channel along the river and that the phragmites removal is more extensive than had been expected. While we had previously advocated for a complete bank to bank environmental restoration, the current design is more than we had expected.

 LANDMARK CENTER
Park Drive Promenade Rendering by Elkus Manfredi Architects
Changes will be coming to the Landmark Center. Samuels & Associates are working with the Boston Landmarks Commission and Boston Parks and Recreation Department on landscape and building improvements. Landscape Improvements proposed include:

• Activate the Landmark frontage of the Emerald Necklace by creating an active open space served by amenities including a unique food hall, a skating rink, event space for performances, and other active uses (farmers market, etc.): Increase open space to a total of 2.2 acres, including a new 1.1-acre publicly accessible Park space along Park Drive.
• Convert the former Best Buy surface parking lot to a 1.1-acre open space along Park Drive, thereby complementing the Muddy River improvements in the Park Drive Rotary
• Improve streetscapes with generous sidewalks, streetscape improvements, new lighting,
• Incorporate new landscaping along Brookline Avenue.
• Provide improved pedestrian connectivity between the MBTA station and the Fenway district by reconstructing pathways to the MBTA station, and avoiding car/pedestrian conflicts within the property boundaries.
• Relocate unattractive parking equipment and cashier booths from the front of the building that are currently within the 100-foot setback.

 CHARLESGATE ALLIANCE
Charlesgate residents are forming a new group to gather ideas and raise funds to improve Charlesgate Park, including the Muddy River and the entire Charlesgate neighborhood. You can help by joining, which is free and easy, too. Pam Beale and Parker James are the Co-Founders. www.charlesgatealliance.org