By Seth Daniel
When the phone rang at the Wynn Everett headquarters last week, it was an unfamiliar voice – it being the voice of a person at Boston City Hall.
Wynn Everett and officials from the City of Boston – excluding Boston Mayor Martin Walsh – met last Thursday, Oct. 29, in a private meeting to discuss transportation issues.
It was the first time, reportedly, that Boston has reached out to Wynn.
Boston officials confirmed that they reached out to Wynn last week and held a meeting that included representatives from the Boston Transportation Department (BTD), the Law Department, City Planning Department and the City Engineering Department.
No one would discuss what was on the agenda, but it was widely understood the meeting was to begin discussions about solving the traffic problem at Sullivan Square.
That said, City officials were clear that the meeting didn’t mean litigation was being withdrawn.
“Mayor Walsh is exploring all options to resolve this matter on behalf of the people of Charlestown and the City of Boston,” read the statement from Boston. “This includes continuing productive conversations with Wynn officials like the one [Thursday] focused on the possibility of negotiating a fair and equitable solution. However, it is the City’s responsibility, and the Mayor’s top priority, to fight to protect the rights of Boston’s residents and the neighborhood of Charlestown and the City is still pursuing its legal options.”
Wynn Everett President Bob DeSalvio confirmed that the meeting happened and it was productive. He did not say who attended the meeting, however, from the Wynn team.
“That meeting did in fact take place last Thursday and we hope to schedule more in the future,” he said.
The last time the two parties met, the City of Boston turned around a filed a lawsuit a few days later – freezing back relations that some had thought were thawing.
The recent meeting last week seemed to have none of that drama in its aftermath.