If it ain't broke …

There's nothing wrong with Boston Common. That's why politicians are eager to fix it.

By JAN ROSENFELD

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One of America's oldest parks struggles with crime, drug abuse, and homelessness. So the Special Committee on Boston Common—comprised of City Councilors Michael Ross, Bill Linehan and Sal LaMattina—held its first public hearing last Wednesday. But even while dissecting the problems of the 48 acres sprawling from the Statehouse to Chinatown, Linehan remained optimistic. "The Common isn't broken," he announced. "We're not here to fix it. We're here to improve the park and make it the greatest park in America."

The committee seemed determined to carve a singular identity for the Common, debating whether it was a rare urban green space not to be trampled, a hub for local businesses, or a venue for large-scale events like the Pride parade, Hempfest and Shakespeare on the Common. The hearing included testimony from city officials, commercial enterprise representatives and residents. It was the first of multiple meetings concerned with allocating the park's limited resources, while optimizing maintenance, financial efforts and public safety.

Capt. Bernard O'Rourke said that although property crime in the park is down, violent crimes, like aggravated assault and robbery, have risen in the past year. "The Common is a very difficult area to police," O'Rourke said. The Park Ranger Service, which augments uniformed presence on the Common, continues to help maintain public safety, although its numbers have been reduced from 25 core rangers in 1999, to 12 today.

Last August, Boston Police began enforcing a strict 11:30pm curfew on the Common, after a shooting left two teenagers injured, and a Statehouse window punctured (arousing the governor's ire). The curfew is one of many police initiatives to crack down on crime in the park. O'Rourke said Operation Common Cure, a program of frequent drug sweeps via undercover buys, made nine arrests over St. Patrick's Day weekend. "We've seen a huge displacement," he said. "The number of drug arrests in that vicinity are down."

But some of these initiatives also displaced the Common's homeless population, said Jim Greene, head of the Emergency Shelter Commission (ESC). "The curfew was an equal opportunity curfew, but it impacted homeless people living in the Common disproportionately," he told the committee. "The placement of homeless people into shelter, treatment, healthcare and housing is as important as the displacement of crime." The ESC provided outreach to the ousted homeless in September, partnering with the Boston Housing Authority to place almost 100 people in housing or shelter, but many remain without a place to sleep.

Colin Zick, a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, referenced the "Boston Common Management Plan," an 18-year-old document that sets concrete guidelines pertaining to park use, mainly in relation to special events, but also addresses issues of homelessness and infrastructure restoration. Zick called for focus to be placed back on the plan, rather than creating new guidelines.

The Common's surrounding business community was also represented at the panel. Tom Kershaw, chair of the Frog Pond Foundation, said that operating a full restaurant or café would bring in increased revenue. "Tavern on the Green is successful in Central Park because you can enjoy a glass of wine or beer," Kershaw explained. "Obviously, that can't currently happen here."

Peggy Ings, associate vice president of government and community relations at Emerson, said that Emerson's Café had lost about $35,000 operating in its present form.

Ross, the committee's chairman, said such commercial projects were important for the Common's future. "There's got to be a way to make this work," he said.

The MBTA plans to build handicap access to the westbound Park Street station, said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Antonia Pollak. The department has also shared its concerns with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, which operates the considerable garage under the park. "At the moment, they are not supporting the Common in any way," said Pollak. The Convention Authority is currently conducting a feasibility study on expansion potential, although no representative attended the hearing.

Despite the challenges facing the Common, Councilor Linehan ended the meeting on a self-congratulatory note. "Now we just need to impact young people to get just as involved as all our speakers tonight," he said.