ST. PAT'S BRIGHTON /RISH RECALL HOMELAND PAGES Serving Allston-Brighton Since 1874 Vol. 119 No. 10 Thursday March 10, 1994 Price soc Bidding for Ale House irks residents Locals say petitioners will just make more trouble By Brian Donohue A group of bar owners seeking to purchase the Allston Ale House at 85 Harvard Ave. came under fire Monday night from neighborhood residents who claim the group's past record of licensing violations at other locations pro­ vide no proof that the new bar wi ll not contribute to bar­ relatcd problems in the area. The meeting- sponsored by District 9 City Councilor CAB COLLISION: Boston firefighters from Engine 29 and Ladder 11 disconnect the battery from a taxi that Brian McLaughlin (D-Allston-Brighton) and Mayor's Of­ was struck by another cab around 5 a .m. Monday at the intersection of North Beacon and Market streets. fice of Neighborhood Services representative Steve Mont­ Both drivers, and one passenger, were taken to Brigham & Women's Hospital for treatment. Chris Barth photo gqmery- was the result of a Boston Licensing Board man-_ date. The board deferred their decision on the transfer until the applicants met with the community. Nearly 40 people attended tJic public meeting. The group. named the October First Corp.. had mer wirh Sports Depot a landmark? neither the Allston Civic Association or the Brighton Allston Improvement Association- meetings \\hich arc u-.ually Upcoming commission ruling would impact bar's expansion standard procedure for licensing applicants. October First attorney Carolyn Conway said the group The original depot was designed in the 1800s by a fa­ had planned to meet with the two groups, bur a letter an­ By Sean. Donovan mous architect named H.H. Richardson- the same man nouncing this intent was not mailed in time due to a per­ who designed Trinity Church in Copley Square. sonal emergency. Proposed renovation work on the Sports Depot restau­ "Richardson is one of the great figures of American Conway said the new ·owners would make onl y small rant on Cambridge Street will have to wait until the Boston architecture," Marchione said. ''He died the year it [the changes in the bar's current day-to-day operation, slightly Landmark Commission has made its decision regarding depot] was completed, so this is one of his last works." expanding the food menu. whether or not to grant it landmark status. Arcand said the work he wants to do wou Id not harm "There's nothing wrong with the Allston Ale House right In October, owner Jay Arcand submitted an application the building. "I've owned this building since 1970," he now. It 's a good business," said Conway. "Most of its cli ­ to the licensing board to add an extra room onto the front said. "We've made changes before, but we've always entelc is from local workers. That is the kind of reputation of the restaurant, which used to be the train station that maintained the integrity of the bui lding." we want to maintain. We want to go in and clean up the served Allston-Brighton. The addition, which Arcand said place and do some work. but nothing major." would total about 700 square feet and add I 0 dining tables, Owner cites improvements has upset some residents. Arcand said that when he purchased the building, it Corporation holdings worry residents Bill Marchione, curator of the Brighton-Allston Histori­ was a run-down and abandoned warehouse. " It was sold But it was not the Ale House's record which concerned cal Society, said the work Arcand intends to do would cover as a warehouse in the mid-'50s," he said. "It was then most residents, but the consortium's other holdings. Ques­ up the last remaining vestige of the building's original form. used as a warehouse and remained in disrepair until I tions about the applicants' credibility were particularly per­ A stone wall in the front of the Depot is the only part left • SPORTS DEPOT tinent, residents said , in light of what they dcscrited as a intact from its original days as a railroad station. Continued on page 13 long list of license violations, drug offenses and violent in­ cidents at other bars which arc owned by members of Octo­ ber First. Old, young join for St. A's show "What we 're trying to talk about is the performance record," said Allston Civic Association president Paul Ber­ keley. ··our concern is that this change is not a positive one. 95th extravaganza unites There is a long li st of violations and we're very concerned." TI1c group is comprised of Henry Yara Jr., owner of Our generations in song, dance House East, the Boston Ramrod in the Fcnway and McBride Lunch in Jamaica Plain; Barry Bornstein, owner of the now­ By Brian Donohue defunct Father's First at· 122 Harvard Ave., Father's Too •ALE HOUSE It just doesn't seem like 1994 inside St. Anthony's Par­ Continued on page 13 ish on Holton Street these days. The nightmares of the nightly newscasts are being drowned out by the sounds of children singing and dancing, literally. in their parent's foot­ INSIDE steps. People are working with their neighbors. There arc nine-year-old kids humming George Cohan songs. INSIDE CJ MAGAZINE The dissolution of the fami ly? Lack of community spirit? Children not listening to their ciders? Not here. It is time SPRING FASHION ..... 2d Section for the 95th annual St. Anthony's Parish minstrel show­ callcd the longe t continuous running show in the nation. NEWSREEL ................................ 4 and scheduled to open Saturday night- and everyone is falling and dancing, in line. EDITORIAL ............................. 6-7 With director Ed Rooney around, no one would dare not to. SENIOR SCHEDULE ................. 10 ·MINSTREL THIS YEAR'S MINSTRELS: These newest participants POLICE ................................... 11 rnntin11Pd nn naee 12 in the minstrel show prepare to practice their high-step. Page 2 The Citizen Journal March 10, 1994 ........................................................... Schools High schoolers give a hand in running hospital Brighton's Pro Tec4 redefines vo-tech, grants kids a leg up in pursuing health care careers Program not private ed, supporters say By Ezra Friedman Some critics have said that the Pro Tech program is nothing less than privatization An innovative three-year-old program of the public education system. But not allows Brighton High School students to Keith Westrich, Project Pro Tech coordina­ care for children, work in a hematology tor and liaison between Brighton High laboratory and observe surgery during rota­ School and the five hospitals where the tions each week at St. Elizabeth's Medical progam operates, said he believes such mea­ Center in Brighton. sures arc critically important for the future Qualifying students in the Pro Tech of students and, more importantly, the na­ Health Care Professionals Program gain tion. professional experience in the medical field "This country is doomed if we can't get through paid internships which function as this together,'' he said. ··we have to develop part of the high school curiculum. a strong academic student and a strong pro­ The program gives students the oppor­ fessional student. If this fails, the economy tunity to begin hands-on medical, dental, or is going to fail." · allied health professional experience in ei­ Brighton High- along with Boston ther the I I th or 12th grades. High, English High, and Charlestown This enables participating students. ac­ High- are the city's four high schools par­ BRIGHTON'S NEXT DOCTOR?: 18-year-old Guerda Victor of Brighton HS is cording to the program's mission, "early ticipating in the Pro Tech Program. Students one of several participants in the Pro Tech health care internship program. preparation for entry-level positions in who qualify for the program at these schools health care facilities and/or post-secondary find themselves working in positions such program is to teach the students fundamen­ the future, though always uncertain, is still programs at universities, hospitals or t~ch ­ as radiology, lab technology, nuclear medi­ tal skills. He said he believes that children very bright. Pro Tech has put 38 of 38 stu­ nical institutions." cine, physical therapy, and surgery. are being taught the wrong kind of work dents in college, he said, with 95 percent of Brighton High is the magnet school for ethic when they can miss I 00 days ofsc hool those who started last September still in the Pro Tech's Health Occupations Program Students work rounds and graduate to find themselves out in the program. because of its close proximity- right next During their junior year, students are world with no skills and absolutely no idea "The challenge for these students is far door- to St. Elizabeth's. placed in three-hour clinical rotations which how to hold down a job. beyond what it would be for 'normal' stu­ This program makes it possible for 40 give them a taste of different departments ''They're being exposed to the real-life dents," said Westrich. ''They often get frus­ Brighton High students, and 192 youths so they can see how the entire hospital func­ processes. We help them find out what it is trated, but I have found that in the course of city-wide, to work at paid internships ii\ tions as a unit. To be eligible for the pro~ like to work in this environment, but they three years is that given the opportunity, they some of Boston's most prestigious hospi­ gram, students must have a 2.0 grade point have to be there regularly and on time," he actually mature at a much quicker rate.