Protecting Historic Parkways of Massachusetts

Friends,

It was a year ago that we began to plan for a legislative approach to protect the historic parkways of Massachusetts.

The ensuing collaborative process resulted in a billl which addressed the key issues endangering the parkways, and included a mandate for completion of the all-important Historic Parkways Preservation Treatment Guidelines, as well as creation of a representative Oversight Committee to assist in monitoring application of Guidelines for repair, restoration and enhancement of the parkways.

Thanks to the work of the bill's lead sponsors and others, $100,000 was procured in the budget process and transferred to DCR, earmarked specifically for completion of the Guidelines.

Throughout this process parkway advocates met with various DCR policy makers and legislators with parkways in their districts to ensure that the bill would include language to provide that routine parkway maintenance, and fully funded and approved parkway projects, would not be affected in the interim period between passage of the bill and implementation of the Guidelines.

In May the joint committee on environment heard testimony in support of this bill and voted to give it their unanimous approval for a vote in the house and the senate.

But when the bill (now H-4283) went to the house Ways and Means committee it was held back.

On Sept. 21, Reps Paulsen, Donato, and I met with Ways and Means committee staff and we found no substantive reasons for blocking this bill.

Thus is has become abundantly clear that the time has come for park and parkway advocates to take action to pressure Ways and Means to release H-4283 to the house floor for a vote, to demand that they allow the democratic process to work.

One of the questions we were asked by the Ways and Means staffers was why there was a "hurry" for passage of this bill. Yesterday I learned from a DCR management person that DCR intends to try as soon as possible to transfer 40% of its parkways to MHD for curb care and control, despite all that is known about what is wrong with such a plan in the absence of parkway guidelines and the means to ensure their implementation, as provided in our bill.

As Dan Marriott says in his book, Saving Historic Roads, "Our historic roads are in danger. Across the United States these historic resources are being lost at an alarming rate."

MA parkways were designed by Eliot and Baxter to connect and protect our incomparable parks. Converting parkways into commercial corridors will represent death knell for our park system.

It is time once again to take action.

The text of H-4283 can be found here: http://www.mass.gov/legis/bills/house/ht04/ht04283.htm

House Ways & Means members are listed here: http://www.mass.gov/legis/comm/h34.htm