Co-Chairs: Dianne Lescinskas, Jennifer Deabler
Minutes: Doreen Miller
Guests: Sargent Tim Golden and Officer Keaney, District C-11; Susan Hamilton, DCR;
Chuck Allen, DCR Regional Director; Lt. Shea, State Police; Julie Ryan, Councilor Baker’s office;
Rep. Dan Hunt
# in attendance: 29
June 12 Incident at the Beach
- Sgt. Tim Golden (C-11) updates
- Officers received a call at 4 AM of a gunshot fired.
- They arrived and dispersed a large group.
- Some of the group, including the shooter, fled the scene on scooters. Officers pursued but eventually lost them.
- C-11 will direct more patrols at the beach during the midnight shift to monitor the park.
- Signage has been put up at the beach regarding closing hours.
- Sgt. Shea (State Police) Updates
- This is the 12th incident over the years.
- A gate that is keyed or coded would be a huge help.
- A recording camera has been installed at the parking lot, on the left side up on the grass.
- Capt. Burns has guaranteed more cameras. They are waiting for the number available and will determine where best to locate them.
- There is dedicated patrol money for specific areas like Day Blvd., Castle Island, and Wollaston Beach but not for Savin Hill.
- Rep. Hunt said that he and Senator Nick Collins have filed an amendment each year since 2006 for patrol funding.
- Police are able to utilize these funds as they see fit. There IS dedicated money for this purpose that can include Savin Hill and Malibu Beaches. It is up to the major how to allocate those funds.
- Rep. Dan Hunt’s Updates
- He met with Dorchester Yacht Club owners and the deputy commissioner in the spring.
- A gate for the end of the DYC parking lot short of McConnell Park is “in the works.”
- Senator Nick Collins did speak with various stakeholders regarding the gate, looking at legal issues, especially access to the 4 parking spots near the challenger field.
- 60% of the parking lot there is leased by DYC, the other 40% is for the general public.
- Craig from DYC Updates
- He is working to get more details for the gate options including the type, cost, etc.
- The turn-around time is long, so it won’t be ready for this summer.
- Susan Hamilton, acting deputy commissioner for operations at DCR, Updates
- She will be meeting with the design and engineering folks about the gate.
- It will take several months due to the specs, size, type, etc.
- She will be in contact with Representative Hunt with progress reports.
- Getting a gate installed will be her top priority.
- She will get a timeline to Representative Hunt in the next few days or weeks.
- Concerns from Residents
- A gate has been talked about for years. Nothing ever is followed up on.
- The police response is great but not enough. We need a gate.
- Often with calls, there is the problem of jurisdiction between the city and DCR, slowing down response time.
- One resident thinks we should plan for three gates with the DYC area being the most critical.
- Many like the idea of installing a temporary gate until the permanent one arrives.
- If the first parking lot is blocked off/gated, teens won’t be able to get to the second parking lot.
- Questions raised:
- Could Park Rangers block off the access overnight? There isn’t enough staffing.
- Could the state increase patrol of the area? Generally, there are three patrols over the midnight shift.
- Could the lights at McConnell Park be kept on all night? There is precedent at Ronan Park where this was done, but some residents complained that it was too bright. They will look into this with Ryan Woods of the Parks Department.
Speeding on Denny and Local Streets
- Speeding is a major issue throughout our neighborhood, which we and Councilor Baker have been asking the city to do something about for years.
- There are no crosswalks to safely cross over into Savin Hill Park.
- The city claims there are no curbs, but there are curbs near the stone monument.
- Curbs were also put in to accommodate the new sewer grates years ago.
- When Eversource comes down Grampian Way with their Dewar project, it would be a prime time for the city to coordinate putting in real sidewalks following their project. Julie Ryan from Councilor Baker’s office will look into this.
- Get speed humps through the mayor’s new “Safety Surge” initiative.
- There is a map of speed hump plans on the city of Boston site.
- We were told that Grampian Way and Savin Hill Avenue were included, but according to the map we are only listed as “eligible for the future.”
- Savin Hill is a major cut-through with cars driving right by our busy public park, so we need to be prioritized. Studies done in the past show it’s time to put us at the top of the list.
- One resident was hit and severely injured in a crosswalk in 2019 by a distracted driver who failed to stop at the stop sign. Does someone need to get killed before action is taken?
- One frustrated resident suggested we purchase our own temporary speed humps from Amazon and install them ourselves.
- Another resident suggested we paint in our own crosswalks.
- We need more crosswalks along Savin Hill Avenue and Grampian Way.
- We need more traffic calming measures.
The June 19 Incident at the Basketball Courts in Savin Hill
- There were reports of a rifle and gun seen at the basketball courts.
- Suspects were cooperative with police. The pistol, which was a toy being used as prank, was seized by police.
- A rifle was also seized by police from the trunk of a car. It was registered to a licensed gun owner, whose gun license was seized along with the rifle.
- Sgt. Golden from C-11 said
- There will be more Code 19s – 30-45 minute sessions where cops are stationed at a location as a deterrent to unlawful activity.
- Their goal is to cut down on public drinking, the use of drugs, and other illegal activities.
- Suggestions, Questions, and Concerns from Residents
- Who is responsible for the courts? The Parks Department. Contact Ryan Woods with your concerns.
- How many people are allowed before you need to pull a permit? Unclear.
- Get rid of the full court, and convert to a high rim/low rim court.
- The tennis courts are respected and left clean, whereas the basketball court is disrespected and trashed.
- With all the illegal activities, vulgarity, open prostitution, and now guns at the basketball courts, it has become unsafe for 8-14-year-olds to use the adjacent street hockey court. Parents are rightfully concerned about their children’s safety.
- Savin Hill Park needs to be closed down at 8 PM or dusk.
- The Parks Department needs to make changes.
- Jake W, a Savin Hill resident, listed our top priorities as follows:
- Convert the basketball court to a half court.
- Have residential parking at the courts.
- Install temporary gate(s) at McConnell Park.
- Install speed humps by our parks and throughout the neighborhood.
- Julie Ryan encouraged everyone to continue to bring their issues and concerns to Councilor Frank Baker.
Suspicious Person on the Hill
- A report was made of a suspicious person lurking in the woods on the hill during a yoga session.
- He could be the same person who was exposing himself in the past although a positive identification was not made.
- As this person has obvious mental health issues, people are warned to be cautious and aware while on the hill or in the neighborhood.
Action Items
- The chairs will reach out to Julie Ryan and Ryan Woods about the lighting, crosswalks, and temporary gate.
- The chairs will keep us up to date on the progress towards getting a permanent gate at McConnell Parking lot(s).
- If you have any issues, do not hesitate to email the chairs, our reps, and Ryan Woods of the Parks Department.
- Dianne Lescinskas: diannelescinskas@gmail.com
- Jennifer Deabler: deablerj@gmail.com
- Ryan Woods: ryan.woods@boston.gov
- Councilor Frank Baker: frank.baker@boston.gov
- Representative Dan Hunt: daniel.hunt@mahouse.gov
- Senator Nick Collins: nick.collins@masenate.gov
- Those who want to help out with any action plans or email writing campaigns please contact the chairs listed above. The following residents left their email in the chat for the chairs to reach out to:
- Jake W
- Jaclyn Price
- Maureen Marotta
- Jill Baker
- Donna Blythe-McColgan