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| The Newsletter of the High Street Hill Association | June 2008 |
| High Street Hill Association 50th Anniversary Celebration Annual Picnic on the Philbrick Green |
|
 with Special Guests the Brookline Community Band |
Sunday, Father's Day, June 15 4 pm Bring family, friends, a dish to share and something for the grill Soft drinks and grills will be provided Pony Rides (from 4:30 to 5:30 only) Dedication of restored park benches Raffle for Red Sox Tickets |
Most everyone will agree that our designation as a Local Historic District (LHD) is a big reason why the Pill Hill neighborhood is a great place to live. The benefits of preservation, however, come in exchange for accepting significant restrictions on modifications to the exteriors of our homes.
The Preservation Commission has the difficult job of reviewing the applications for alterations and enforcing the rules. While many praise the process for improving their projects, there are those that have found the experience to be troublesome, with problems arising on both sides of the application process.
Several months ago the HSHA board decided to compare notes with the other four LHDs in Brookline. It was a historic meeting (pun intended)-- never before had representatives of the five groups gotten together. From the outset two things were clear: we all strongly supported the mission of the PC and we wanted to meet with the PC and Town staff to find what works well and what could be improved.
To that end, reps from the five LHDs met on May 19 with PC Chair Sheri Flagler, PC staff and Director of Planning Jeff Levine to exchange our various views and ideas. The major result of the meeting, however, was an agreement to partner with the PC to develop a carefully and professionally crafted survey, together with a focused plan, to identify and prioritize ways to strengthen the mission of the PC. A meeting to start the development of a survey is being scheduled and survey professionals will be invited to help the LHD and PC partnership.
Last week Town Meeting decided that the number of underground parking spaces at Children's Hospital's proposed building could be lowered in return for a workable plan to encourage commuters to use mass transit. So now, after a two month hiatus, the Design Advisory Team (DAT) hopes to hear some real data that will help guide the decision of how deep to dig the hole beneath the building. Other key questions concerning the site, such as the filing of a subdivision plan by the developers that shows a road running over the space where the building is planned, are awaiting answers. Please come to the next DAT meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11, in the cafeteria at Old Lincoln.
Our Annual Meeting and 50th Anniversary Celebration Kickoff on May 5th was wonderful. As usual, the potluck dinner couldn't be beat but the reminiscing about the neighborhood's achievements was even better. Mo Richardson described scenes from the founding of the HSHA; Kitty Ames, Louise Lipsitz and Liz Olins reprised the campaign to build Lincoln School; and Hugh Mattison and Betsy Shure Gross presented the still-ongoing case for the preservation of Olmsted Park. Everyone, it seemed, had something notable to add. Charlie Short expressed his pride at being born in the neighborhood while Seth Briggs remembered the horse-dawn sidewalk plows along Walnut Street in the 1930s. Here's to another 50 years!
We also inducted a new board and passed a revised set of bylaws unanimously. Noting, however, that there were some HSHA alumni that had moved away but would still like to be part of the HSHA, a motion was made to request that the board devise an amendment to allow nonresidents to become nonvoting members.
We would like to thank outgoing board members Jean Peteet, Tom Elwertowski and Frank Dobbin for their service. Tom, besides serving as secretary, has been responsible for our award-winning website. Although he is stepping down from the board he has graciously offered to maintain our site. Jean, who has done a yeoman's job as our treasurer for many years, will be especially missed.
| President | Rob Daves | 9 Upland Road | 566-7334 | |
| Vice President | Bill Weber | 30 Upland Road | 738-5504 | |
| Treasurer | Maria Conner | 36 Allerton Street | 278-0276 | |
| Secretary | Olivia Fischer Fox | 36 Upland Road | 277-0706 | |
| Blake Cady | 24 Walnut Place | 566-1629 | ||
| Maureen Coffey | 21 Hawthorn Road | 875-1583 | ||
| Betsy Shure Gross | 25 Edgehill Road | 731-1448 | ||
| Alida Hanson | 11 Hall Road | 278-6045 | ||
| Nicola Moscufo | 141 Walnut Street | 734-1964 | ||
| Maurice Richardson | 27 Upland Road | 232-9641 | ||
| Dick Robb | 19 Oakland Road | 566-1087 |
This spring neighbors joined forces to continue our volunteer effort to spruce up Olmsted Park. With the support of the Town's Division of Parks and Open Space we raked, weeded and mulched beds along the Babbling Brook and at the Allerton Overlook and, with the guidance of Town Arborist George Barlow, we pruned shrubs near the Route 9 bridge. Thanks to all who pitched in and special thanks to Parks Department Director Erin Galantine and Project Leaders Christine Dean, Karen Ariele, John Gillis and George Barlow.
Although our volunteer program is a modest one it is well appreciated. At its Annual Meeting on May 12, the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance presented HSHA President Rob Daves with its Environmental Leadership Award in recognition of this important program.
Celebrate the High Street Hill Association's
50th Anniversary
with
An Evening of Pill Hill Stories
featuring
Storyteller
Jay O'Callahan
Saturday, October 4th, 2008
7:30 P.M.
Lincoln School Auditorium
19 Kennard Road, Brookline
General Admission Tickets: $15
Host Committee Tickets: $100
(includes Two Tickets to the Performance followed by a Recepetion with
Mr. O'Callahan and Friends at his boyhood home, 112 High Street
hosted by Benna Kushlefsky and Seth Hamot)
Ticket Information:
call 617-566-7334 (Rob Daves) or 617-738-5504 (Bill Weber)
* please note: this performance is most suitable for ages 14 and up *
The Highlight is printed several times a year and is distributed on foot or by bicycle by HSHA Board members and their usually willing family members. If you have a comment or contribution contact the editor, Rob Daves, at 617-566-7334 or robdaves@rcn.com.