Adding Fire To Rutherford Ave Flames

I certainly hope Elizabeth Levin's remark was taken out of context.

"There's nothing more important than this project in...making a difference for neighborhood and making a difference for the city,’’ said Elizabeth Levin, speaking as a Charlestown resident, not in her capacity as a member of the board that oversees the state Department of Transportation. “And yet we don’t seem to be able to take that opportunity . . . because, for some reason, the change makes people nervous."

This is from an article in today's Boston Globe regarding the ongoing plans to redesign Rutherford Ave & Sullivan Square.

Change doesn't make us nervous Ms. Levin, the City "helping" us makes us nervous. As stated further in the article -

"Many skeptics have long memories, recalling past instances when government claimed to know best for the people of Charlestown: busing, urban renewal, construction of the towering, and lead-painted Tobin Bridge."

It's not a "Townie vs Yuppie" battle as Dante Remos of The Boston Globe states on Twitter. It's another skirmish in the long Charlestown vs City Hall and/or some State or Federal entity battle. And if some newcomer is not as skeptical of City Hall help....the should do more research.

The Townies who are battling the current redesign plan are not fighting against "leafy boulevards". That idea is laughable on it's face. We are not trying to fight improvement. We are saying if the plan is not well thought out, it will diminish the quality of life in the rest of Charlestown.

You know, a starvation diet and a new dress will make you look thin, but it will also destroy your health. Let's not "pretty up" what is most definitely an eyesore at the expense of what we now enjoy.