THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2021 FREE charlestown PATRIOT-BRIDGE BUNKER HILL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT VISIT Charlestown landscape architect uses Hood Park plan to advance innovative ideas By Seth Daniel When Kennen was brought onto the project by Hood Park Standing on the parking lot or owner Chris Kaneb, the task open space at Hood Park in year’s was to block out the highway, past meant having a front-row but through a technique she has seat to the highway just a few pushed forward using native knots to the west. plantings – she’s also looking to Now, the wind rustles in the clean up the pollution from the trees, the fountains flow and the highway as well. highway cannot be seen so well. “We’re very excited because the That’s all part of the innovative whole object of this job is about plan for the public realm brought blocking I-93, which is amaz- about by Charlestown landscape ing,” she said. “When we first architect Kate Kennen, whose firm started putting everything in, it Offshoots is based on Rutherford was to help relieve pollution in Avenue and who formerly lived in the Town for several years. (LANDSCAPE Pg.6) State Rep. Jon Santiago Photo courtesy of Mayor’s Office/Jeremiah Robinson Acting Mayor Kim Janey took her first tour and got an update on the plans for the Bunker Hill Housing Redevelopment on Weds., July 7. Here, she stops for a photo with Charlestown Residents Alliance (CRA) ends mayoral campaign members Nancy Martinez, Tina Goodnow, Phil Wright and Karla Wert. See Page 8 for more photos By Seth Daniel leaves five announced major can- didates still in the race, includ- Though he had a gleaming ing Acting Mayor Kim Janey, resume for the job of mayor, South Councilor Michelle Wu, Councilor Demand pushes Hood to move End State Rep. Jon Santiago’s cam- Annissa Essaibi George, Councilor paign never took a strong foot- Andrea Campbell and John Barros. hold citywide and never caught the Also in the race of East Boston’s forward on garage addition momentum needed to show strong Bob Cappucci, who has gathered By Seth Daniel with the tremendous appetite for of the very unique, six-story park- in September, and as a result he some support in Charlestown of lab and research space in Boston, ing garage/retail complex that was ended his campaign for mayor on late. In the master planning process the far-off expansion has become a completed only last summer. Tuesday morning. with Hood Park in 2018, a six near-term reality. Owner Chris Kaneb said that His move to end the campaign (SANTIAGO Pg. 15) story tower on top of the six story Hood Park filed an amendment the building was “coming soon- signature parking garage on the to its approved Master Plan this er rather than later,” and that campus was only thought to be a month with the intention of add- demand for life sciences space has distant possibility in the plan, but ing a six-story lab tower to the top begun to find a home in Hood Park. He didn’t say if there was a tenant identified for the proposed six-story tower – which would make the building 12-stories in total – but Hood has just leased an existing 75,000 sq. ft. floor in the garage to a life sciences company – whose lease is firm but there is still paperwork pending, Kaneb said. “The demand in the Boston market now is strongly in life sci- ences and we’re right there in a good position to respond to that demand,” he said. The finished structure, includ- Hood Park has filed an amendment to their Master Plan to go forward ing the completed garage would with a six-story lab building addition on top of the completed parking top out at 185 feet and would garage/retail center on the campus. The building on top of the garage South End State Rep. Jon Santiago ended his mayoral campaign on wasn’t anticipated so quickly, but demand for life science lab space has Tuesday. He’s shown here with Charlestown State Rep. Dan Ryan in (HOOD Pg. 13) pushed it forward. June. Ryan was an early supporter of Santiago’s campaign. PAGE 2 THE CHARLESTOWN PATRIOT-BRIDGE JULY 15, 2021 editorial SORRY FOLKS -- BUT THE PANDEMIC IS FAR FROM OVER GUEST OP-ED We in Massachusetts are living in a bit of a pandemic bubble right Strategize your money flow now, both literally and figuratively. Dr. Glenn Mollette the very basic needs become a so you can get a better paying The high vaccination rate in our state, as well as in neighboring states luxury. Keeping the house warm job. Or, you must gain addition- throughout New England, has contributed to a dramatic drop in the If your outgo is more than your or cool is a luxury. Buying good al income through a second job. number of COVID-19 infections, deaths, and hospitalizations in our income then your upkeep will be or healthy groceries are difficult. With surging inflation facing our your downfall. Buying gasoline to go to work is part of the country. country this makes these numbers A sure way to disable yourself expensive. If you have access to a an intense strain. Consider living The successful reopening of our economy serves as a testament to the financially is to spend more than credit card, the pressure is great to as close to your job as possible to value of having a highly-vaccinated -- and highly-educated -- population. your income. put basic living needs on the card save on transportation costs. It’s as if our region of the U.S. is equivalent to an island nation such If your income is $2500 a but the exorbitant fees and inter- If your income is $5,000, month then you can’t spend $3500 as New Zealand, where COVID-19 has not made a dent in economic or est of credit card companies begin $10.000 a month or more. Your a month and come out ahead. to quickly intensify your financial strategy is easier. Your main goal other activity since the beginning of the pandemic because its prime min- An old friend used to say, “You burden. must be to not buy a house or a ister, Jacinda Ardern, sealed off its borders to foreigners from the very can’t borrow yourself rich.” Your choices are few when it car that stretches your income to We have “wants” and comes to good household budget- beginning of the pandemic. the max. You don’t need the stress. “needs.” Needs must always out- ing. Let’s look at a lean budget. However, New England is not an island. Millions of our own citizens Budget so you can afford to take a weigh wants. We need food and Let’s say your income is $2,000 a vacation or have a play day. Life is are traveling to other places and returning, and millions of non-residents shelter, transportation and basic month. You can afford the follow- short! Enjoy it along the way. How are coming here to visit this summer. utilities to survive. ing: $500 a month in rent, $250 a you budget and spend your money The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain of the A person with a small income month in utilities, $250 a month can make you financially unstable virus both in this country and throughout the world. The troubling has severe financial pressure and for a used car payment and $150 must live on a strict budget. The a month for gasoline. This gives or you can live with a feeling of aspects of Delta are that it is much more highly-transmissible than the person who has a lot of income you $850 a month to buy food financial security. original, it is more lethal, and the vaccines are slightly less-efficacious still must determine a budget. The on and buy basic auto insurance. Glenn Mollette is the publish- against it compared to the original strain of the virus for which the vac- principal is the same for the person You will have to go through your er of Newburgh Press, Liberty Torch and various other publish- cines specifically were developed. who has more income. Your outgo state medical insurance program must not exceed your income. If and apply for free state health ing imprints; a national columnist In Australia (where vaccination rates are very low), the Delta variant you are earning $9,000 a month insurance because you can’t afford – American Issues and Common has shown itself to be a whole new ballgame, so to speak, in terms of but spending $10,0000 you are to buy health insurance. You also Sense opinions, analysis, stories how contagious it is. The virus has been transmitted among people who going to end up in financial trou- have to figure out how to make and features appear each week In simply came fleetingly into contact with each other and shared the same ble. more money. You have to work over 500 newspapers, websites With a very low income even hard where you are and do good and blogs across the United States. airspace in an indoor mall. “It is the most hyper-transmissible, contagious version of the virus we’ve seen to date, for sure — it’s a superspreader strain if there ever GUEST OP-ED was one,” said Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine and an executive vice president at the Scripps Research Institution, in a recent interview in Scientific American.