Keeping with the spirit of the new baseball season, here is my “pitch” for economic relief. The new economic development bill (S.2331) that is making its way through the Massachusetts legislature enjoys the backing of both the Senate President and the House Speaker and is, therefore, very likely to be enacted during this legislative session. This bill makes good economic sense for the Commonwealth.
Among its many provisions, under Section 61, is the establishment of a Health and Educational Facility Authority: a nine member group appointed by the Governor and charged with the responsibility of issuing revenue bonds to facilitate the design and construction of much needed projects among the Commonwealth’s not-for-profit institutions providing higher education and healthcare to our citizens.
During this recession, architects have watched helplessly as many of our not-for-profit clients struggled in vain to find adequate financing in a climate of increasingly tight credit. This bill addresses that problem and I hope that it will serve as a model for other states looking to stimulate their design and construction industries.
This bill is a home run!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Wake Up, Boston!
It’s time that Boston cultural leaders wake up to the fact that we are rapidly losing our passion for the arts.
This Friday’s edition of The Boston Globe featured a page one story entitled “Another Jewel Lost in the Greenway Crown.” It lamented the demise of the New Center for Arts and Culture, a proposed centerpiece of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and attributed its failing to the moribund economy. Like other cultural facilities planned for the Greenway, such as the Boston Museum and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden Under Glass, the New Center was unable to raise sufficient funds to bring its noble vision to reality.
In this Sunday’s Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich issued a compelling wake-up call, characterizing Boston’s art scene as “fragmented” and “complacent”…he even called it sleepy! ”If Boston took the initiative”, Petrovich said, “if its political and cultural leaders got behind the idea, it could make itself into a real engine for the creative life”.
This brings me to the opportunity that the Boston Society of Architects is now considering, namely the relocation of its offices and the opening of a museum for Design and Architecture at the new Russia Wharf building on the Fort Point Channel. A task force is currently studying the proposal and the Board will thoroughly vet the subject in the coming weeks. This Tuesday evening at 6PM, during an open forum at BSA headquarters on Broad Street, the membership has been invited to air their views on the proposal and contribute their suggestions. I would encourage all interested BSA members to attend. To use Petrovich’s words, this could be the BSA’s “moment of opportunity” to play a role the cultural and artistic renaissance of our city.
Let’s not be caught napping.
This Friday’s edition of The Boston Globe featured a page one story entitled “Another Jewel Lost in the Greenway Crown.” It lamented the demise of the New Center for Arts and Culture, a proposed centerpiece of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and attributed its failing to the moribund economy. Like other cultural facilities planned for the Greenway, such as the Boston Museum and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Garden Under Glass, the New Center was unable to raise sufficient funds to bring its noble vision to reality.
In this Sunday’s Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich issued a compelling wake-up call, characterizing Boston’s art scene as “fragmented” and “complacent”…he even called it sleepy! ”If Boston took the initiative”, Petrovich said, “if its political and cultural leaders got behind the idea, it could make itself into a real engine for the creative life”.
This brings me to the opportunity that the Boston Society of Architects is now considering, namely the relocation of its offices and the opening of a museum for Design and Architecture at the new Russia Wharf building on the Fort Point Channel. A task force is currently studying the proposal and the Board will thoroughly vet the subject in the coming weeks. This Tuesday evening at 6PM, during an open forum at BSA headquarters on Broad Street, the membership has been invited to air their views on the proposal and contribute their suggestions. I would encourage all interested BSA members to attend. To use Petrovich’s words, this could be the BSA’s “moment of opportunity” to play a role the cultural and artistic renaissance of our city.
Let’s not be caught napping.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Hot Pants
In November, 2009, TRO Jung|Brannen and YRM announced the formation of Nuclear Design Partnership {NDP} – a professional collaboration which combines the skills, strengths, and experience of our two international design firms. NDP offers a broad range of design services to address the entire lifecycle of the development of nuclear energy facilities, from master planning to decommissioning.
Just the other day I had the opportunity, with eight other NDP professionals, to tour one of New England’s most prominent nuclear energy stations; and, I ran into a bit of a problem. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has very strict protocols governing security and safety. The primary goal of regulators and owners alike is to operate the plant with minimal risk to the public, visitors, and staff, and they do a very thorough job of it. As a result, the safety briefings and scanning procedures are both rigorous and time-consuming, both when you enter the facility and when you leave.
In our case, we encountered no difficulties with our initial screening process or during the tour itself; the problem occurred as we were leaving the radiation control area and I was subjected to a final full body screening to detect radon particles. It seems that I had worn the kind of cheap synthetic pants that tend to create static electricity, and the static had attracted an unacceptably high amount of radon to my pant legs. In short, I had “hot pants.” To make matters worse, the control officer said that I couldn’t leave the facility until the radon readings diminished. “How long will that take?” I asked. “Oh, not long,” he replied. After standing in front of a fan for twenty minutes, we took a second reading, then a third…..then a fourth. All “hot.” After more than an hour, and a total of twelve failed tests later, I had visions of spending the rest of the night there until my pants “cooled off,” so I offered to throw my pants in the trash and exit in my underwear. But, apparently the NRC frowns on that sort of thing.
Obviously, since I am now writing this blog post, I am happily back in my office thanks to the kindly intervention of a safety supervisor who put me through an alternative screening process and gave me my “get out of jail free” card.
But, for some reason, no one in the office will come near me!
Just the other day I had the opportunity, with eight other NDP professionals, to tour one of New England’s most prominent nuclear energy stations; and, I ran into a bit of a problem. Not surprisingly, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has very strict protocols governing security and safety. The primary goal of regulators and owners alike is to operate the plant with minimal risk to the public, visitors, and staff, and they do a very thorough job of it. As a result, the safety briefings and scanning procedures are both rigorous and time-consuming, both when you enter the facility and when you leave.
In our case, we encountered no difficulties with our initial screening process or during the tour itself; the problem occurred as we were leaving the radiation control area and I was subjected to a final full body screening to detect radon particles. It seems that I had worn the kind of cheap synthetic pants that tend to create static electricity, and the static had attracted an unacceptably high amount of radon to my pant legs. In short, I had “hot pants.” To make matters worse, the control officer said that I couldn’t leave the facility until the radon readings diminished. “How long will that take?” I asked. “Oh, not long,” he replied. After standing in front of a fan for twenty minutes, we took a second reading, then a third…..then a fourth. All “hot.” After more than an hour, and a total of twelve failed tests later, I had visions of spending the rest of the night there until my pants “cooled off,” so I offered to throw my pants in the trash and exit in my underwear. But, apparently the NRC frowns on that sort of thing.
Obviously, since I am now writing this blog post, I am happily back in my office thanks to the kindly intervention of a safety supervisor who put me through an alternative screening process and gave me my “get out of jail free” card.
But, for some reason, no one in the office will come near me!
Stunning
Until now I have been too stunned to comment on the recent election of Scott Brown to the United States Senate. But I regained my senses when I read Joan Vennochi’s OP-ED piece in the Boston Globe earlier this week. She suggested that he got elected, in part, because of his good looks!
I asked myself if it is possible that the American voting public is so shallow that they will actually vote for someone based on their looks. Then I recalled the 1960 Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and JFK. Polls taken immediately after the debate showed that voters who listened only to the radio broadcast thought that Nixon won the debate, while those who watched on television thought that JFK won. It seems that JFK’s good looks may have, indeed, influenced the voters…….and you’ll have to admit that Nixon was sweaty and badly in need of a shave!
But in the Brown–Coakley campaign was the outcome really a reflection of superficiality over substance as Joan seems to be suggesting? I don’t think so. But, I will acknowledge that her argument reminded me of a line from the famous children’s book, The Little Prince, written many years ago by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In it, the Little Prince befriends a fox, who shares his secret: “everything essential is invisible to the eye”.
Only time will tell if the stunning Senator-Elect has the substance to lead effectively.
I asked myself if it is possible that the American voting public is so shallow that they will actually vote for someone based on their looks. Then I recalled the 1960 Presidential debate between Richard Nixon and JFK. Polls taken immediately after the debate showed that voters who listened only to the radio broadcast thought that Nixon won the debate, while those who watched on television thought that JFK won. It seems that JFK’s good looks may have, indeed, influenced the voters…….and you’ll have to admit that Nixon was sweaty and badly in need of a shave!
But in the Brown–Coakley campaign was the outcome really a reflection of superficiality over substance as Joan seems to be suggesting? I don’t think so. But, I will acknowledge that her argument reminded me of a line from the famous children’s book, The Little Prince, written many years ago by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In it, the Little Prince befriends a fox, who shares his secret: “everything essential is invisible to the eye”.
Only time will tell if the stunning Senator-Elect has the substance to lead effectively.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Each January, as the New Year dawns, I reflect on what transpired during the previous twelve months and make earnest vows of self-improvement for the coming months. We all do this, I suppose, and sometimes we even stick to our resolutions for a while – I actually didn’t eat any French fries for an entire month last year!
Anyway, as I was writing mine down I recalled a video I had watched the previous day of my sister-in-law’s recent wedding. In the video her new husband reads a poem to her in which he makes several vows, among them this one; ”to make our own rainbows.” So, at the considerable risk of plagiarism, I’d suggest that we put that one at the top of our lists for 2010. Let’s all create as many rainbows as possible every day - in our work, our marriages, our friendships, and in ourselves.
I liked it so much that I scratched off all the other resolutions I had, including the one about French fries.
Anyway, as I was writing mine down I recalled a video I had watched the previous day of my sister-in-law’s recent wedding. In the video her new husband reads a poem to her in which he makes several vows, among them this one; ”to make our own rainbows.” So, at the considerable risk of plagiarism, I’d suggest that we put that one at the top of our lists for 2010. Let’s all create as many rainbows as possible every day - in our work, our marriages, our friendships, and in ourselves.
I liked it so much that I scratched off all the other resolutions I had, including the one about French fries.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
All I Want for Christmas
I was reading The Boston Globe this morning and was pleased to see a page one article by Casey Ross and Todd Wallack that addressed one of the most glaring deficiencies of the government’s stimulus package: the fact that very little of the $787B funding is directed at building construction.
They noted that in Massachusetts alone, the program has provided $437M for road construction, but limited funds for buildings. They also, quite correctly, pointed out that the construction {or renovation} of a building provides more jobs for more people for a longer period of time than a comparable road construction project. Oddly, while the authors lamented the 20% unemployment level in the construction industry, they failed to mention the catastrophic impact that the lack of building funding is having on the design industry’s employment levels. Simply put, there are now more architects and engineers out of work in the New England region than at any time in recent memory. Many estimate the figure at more than 30%. Recently the AIA told congress that all it wants for Christmas is for them to redirect stimulus funding toward vertical, rather than horizontal, construction.
I hope Santa is listening!
They noted that in Massachusetts alone, the program has provided $437M for road construction, but limited funds for buildings. They also, quite correctly, pointed out that the construction {or renovation} of a building provides more jobs for more people for a longer period of time than a comparable road construction project. Oddly, while the authors lamented the 20% unemployment level in the construction industry, they failed to mention the catastrophic impact that the lack of building funding is having on the design industry’s employment levels. Simply put, there are now more architects and engineers out of work in the New England region than at any time in recent memory. Many estimate the figure at more than 30%. Recently the AIA told congress that all it wants for Christmas is for them to redirect stimulus funding toward vertical, rather than horizontal, construction.
I hope Santa is listening!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mae West
Recently, the newspapers and the evening news have both reported extensively on the financial problems plaguing certain real estate developers in the Middle East. The extent of the credit problem may approach a figure that is eerily similar in scope to the Bernie Madoff scandal which was also fueled by the irrational exuberance of investors. The former crisis may yet be resolved by the timely intervention of the local banking system, while the latter is unlikely to ever be reconciled to anyone’s satisfaction.
Yesterday I was watching TV and happened to catch a few minutes of a classic Mae West movie – My Little Chickadee. I was reminded of one of Mae’s favorite lines: “too much of a good thing is never enough”! I wonder if that bird would be singing the same song today.
Yesterday I was watching TV and happened to catch a few minutes of a classic Mae West movie – My Little Chickadee. I was reminded of one of Mae’s favorite lines: “too much of a good thing is never enough”! I wonder if that bird would be singing the same song today.
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