East Boston Community News: January 10, 1978. Volume 8
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C01111i1Uflity News VOLUME 8, NUMBER 8 ESTABLISHED 1970 JANUARY I 0- JANUARY 24, 1978 FREE Wa'rrant mysteriously disappears Landowner avoids arrest ; property still a dump heap by Michael Rezendes A warrant for the arrest of lots of proprety and lots of money. Louis DeSanctis has been issued He's crapping all over people here because he ignored a summons to and getting away with it." appear in Boston Housing Court. "Where can we go now?" asked DeSanctis faces charges that here- Ferullo. " We're very proud of our fused to comply with an order from neighborhood. We try to keep it up, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) to keep it clean. We don't think we to clean up his property on the cor- have to live like this:' ner of Orleans and Haynes Streets. Turns nose up at law How.ever, the warrant has a~par- Anna DeFRonzo, Chairperson of ently disappeared somewh~re ;n t~e the Land Use Council, was also not p~per b~e~ucracy. of the city ~ en- surprised that the law was having no mmal diVISion. While the Housmg effect on Louis DeSanctis. "This Be it ever humble_ Court insists that warran~ no. 20994 man is alway~ turning his nose up so for the arrest of DeSanctis was . at the law," she said. DeFronzo ex 385 Frankfort St. was a nice place for the home of Mr. and Mrs. John issued on Dec. 15 and sent to pohce plained how, in another incident in Fagone- until the airport moved next door. The Fagone's three-decker headquarters, Mrs. Anderson of the Day Square , DeSanctis had built an and 32 other homes in the Neptune Road area were bought up by Mass warrant division at headquarters extension to a building he owns port when Logan's 1 0,000-foot Runway 15-33 extended into their.back told the Community News that it has there without the necessary permit, yards. Over the years Massport demolished 25 of these homes, leavmg no record of having received the and then routinely received the per- the Neptune Road neighborhood a crazy quilt of empty lots. warrant. mit on Dec. 22, after the extension Now Massport wants out of the real estate business. The BHA's original order was was completed. prompted by complaints by area , DeSanctis owns a good deal of ad- The Fagones bought their house back from M~sspo~ for $50- an~ re ceived another $7 900 in relocation grants wh1ch pa1d for the movmg to residents that trucks from the Rich ditional property in East Boston. 109 Coleridge Str~et and the $1000 cost of the new lot. Later this month Construction Company of Brigh- According to the Boston Redevelop- Massport says the Salernos of 54 Neptune Rd. will also buy back their ton were dumping large amounts ment Authority, he has title to home and move next to the Fagones at 111 Coleridge St. of broken concrete and asphalt at much of the land along the railroad the Orleans/Haynes Street property. tracks on Orleans and Bremen The Fagone's new life had a shaky beginning. First an axle broke on the Defies inspector's order Streets, and is the owner of the tow truck, then the ground at the Coleridge Street site was to~ soft to hold the house steady. The mile-long trek for the house took s1x and When representatives of the Thrifty Rent-A-Car property also on a half hours. Rich ,company' were questioned, they Bremen Street. said DeSanctis had given them per- Vacationing in Florida Coleridge Street may not be much quiete~ than living <;>n Neptune ~oad, but most people agree it's safer. Massport s peace-makmg efforts w1~h the mission to dump there. DeSanctis One high city official painted a East Boston community received tremendous media coverage both m the was ordered to clean the p~operty picture of DeSanctis as an elusive press and on television, where Mr. Fagone was quoted saying, "We but reportedly told a housmg figure. He told the Community get to move and take our roots with us, and that's kind of nice." Mass inspector that as owner h~ ~ould New; he had no idea how to get in do w?atever ?e pleased With It. touch with him. The official said port's public affairs department,Ann Hershfang and Rev. AI Salles~, He did not piCk up the trash. th t h h h d ted t must have smiled at Fagone's comment. And they deserve the credit for a w en e a once wan o whatever success the Neptune Road relocation project enjoys. But even Then Lucy Ferullo .of Haynes reach DeSanctis, he put the word 1:he most well-orchestrated public relations campaign won't convince Stree~.collected 124 si~atures from out around the city and DeSanctis East Boston that Logan Airport is a good neighbor. , her n~Ighbors on a petitiOn d~ "just appeared behind me one -Renee Loth mandmg that the refuse be p1cked up, day in a black Cadillac." and took the case to .the East Bos- The Corrurumity New; has ton Land Use Council. In late No- learned that DeSanctis has left vember Chieflbt.mnglnspector~ Boston for the winter. A spokesman Vi~liano was infomm ofthesl1;. for the Day Square Builders Supply Senate approves tax on uatlon, ~d the case was brought m Company, owned by the DeSanctis to Hous~~ Court. The warrant for family, said that DeSanctis is in DeSanctiS arrest followed. Florida and " probably won't be Massport; $3.4 m expected When neighborhood residents back until April or May." were told that the warrant, good by Christy George with murder," said MAPNAC co- for 60 days from the date issued Ferullo says that residents will (Dec. 15), has apparently been lost take their case to the Land Use The nine-year fight to close chairperson Fr. Tom Corrigan. For Council again now that they\re Massport's tax-exempt loophole years, MAPNAC has pushed the leg- and that no action is being taken, learned that no action is being may not be ended yet, despite ~he islature to enact a law to t ax Mass- they expressed anger and suspicion. taken on the DeSanctis warrant. state legislature's passage of a bill port's lessees. Such a property tax "This smells to high heaven," In the meantime Vitagliano last week to tax Massport five per- bill would have brought the city be said one resident who signed says he will call the Housing Court tween $2.5 and $3 million. Ferullo's petition. "DeSanctis has to see if the warrant can be reissued. cent of its gross revenues. Although this bill may not be The bill needs only Governor Michael Dukakis's signature to be- anybody's favorite version, no one come law, but he may not sign it. denies its benefit to the city. Mass- "There's been a lot of pressure to achusetts Secretary of Transportation kill this with the Governor's people." Fred Salvucci said, "The Governor is said the bill's House sponsor, Eastie very much in favor of revenues going Rep. Gus Serra. to both Chelsea and Boston, but The bill, which would yield about we're concerned with the legality $3.4 million in tax revenues to the of the bill. We must be sure that the cities of Boston and Chelsea, isn't bill will be upheld in court." perfect. It's been called "unconsti- Pay now, pay later tutional" and might also put Mass- The issue is not whether, but when, ~ port into a financial bind this year. Massport has to pay the city for 1977. And while the bill taxes Massport, One interpretation suggests Mass- the profitable businesses leasing port must pay its 1977 taxes by space on Massport property still go November 1978, which now gives scot free. Massport ten months to raise the Better than nothing money. Others prefer the interpre- "While we want this bill signed, it tation that Massport owes its .1977 doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense taxes immediately and owes Its for one public agency to hand over 1978 taxes by November 1978. money to another public agency when (continued on page 5) DUMP -Who will clean up this mess on Haynes-Orleans Sts? private enterprises are getting away photo by Pat Morash / :New CPAC reps want quality schools by Gretchen Coles College and received an A.A. in ed all supposed to be working towards The Citywide Parents' Advisory ucation. She has worked in the the same goal-quality education for Council (CPAC) has recently re nursing profession for ten years. our children." elected Henry Allen and Hattie McKinnis has worked in desegrega Fahey's days are numbered McKinnis as co-chairpersons. CPAC tion of Boston Public Schools since is a mechanism for parental involve 1974 and CPAC since 1975. According to Allen, CPAC's goal ment in the desegregation process Better working together this year is to build a parents' move for Boston's public schools on a ment in the city committed to qu~ citywide basis. It also functions as Both Allen and McKinnis be ity integrated education. He feels an advisory group to parents on the lieve p~ent involvement in educa one. of the most important issues Racial-Ethnic Parent Councils tional decision making is critical to facing CPAC this year is parent in (REPCs) and the Community Ad the future of Boston Public Schools. volvement in the screening process visory Councils (CDACS).