Letters to the Editor

Little League is underway

Dear Editor:

We kicked off our 57th season of Little League baseball in Charlestown last Saturday, and it is my first year as League President. There are so many people I would like to thank for helping me get this season off to a successful beginning. First and most notably, I would like to thank Mayor Marty Walsh for joining us for the parade and Opening Day ceremonies. He is a past President of Savin Hill Little League in Dorchester and told me he has fond memories of his time involved with Little League. The players were really excited to have him march in the parade and throw the ceremonial first pitch.

I would also like to thank State Representative Dan Ryan, City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, and Jack Kelly for showing their support and participating in our Opening Day First pitches. Thank you also to Little League District 9 Administrator Eddie Greatorex for his continued guidance and support of Charlestown Little League.  Thank you always to Jimbo Tucker, my Jack-of-all-trades for all questions and problems, and special thanks to John McHugh for fixing our field’s electrical system at the last minute on Friday so that we could have a functioning PA system for our ceremony. Thank you to the Ironside Grill for helping get our Concession stand’s freezer repaired this week. Thanks also to Parks Superintendent Charlie Rideout, Jack Schievink and the rest of the City parks crew for getting the fields in such great shape for Opening Day. Thank you to Chris Breen and Amy Yandle for helping get all my Opening Day permits and other logistic ducks in a row.

Many thanks go to our outgoing Board officers Sharlene Cahill, Dave Cahill, and Al Carrier. They have spent 15+ years involved with Charlestown Little League and have built the program up to its current successful state. I want to personally thank them for answering my thousands of questions and am sure I will have more to come!

I would like to acknowledge our new Board members who have helped institute some changes this year and have helped get this season off to a great start. Our Board members are Max Gomez, Dave Jackson, Mike Lynch, Josh Bresler, Tim Rath, Andy Groh, and G.R. Nelson. Thanks also go to Leo Boucher, John Chisholm, Dustin Johnson, Paula Rose, Tom Ward and the rest of our coaches and volunteers for all of their valuable time and hard work. Thanks to all of our sponsors for their financial commitment to our program. Without them, our program would struggle to make ends meet without raising our registration fees higher than many could afford. This program depends on so many people to be successful, and we are grateful for the sacrifices that they make so that Charlestown Little League can flourish. Here’s to another great season! Play ball!

Cathy Reese,

League President

 

A letter to my City and State Representatives.

Dear Editor:

First I would like to thank you for your service to our community and your sincere interest in making our City a better place for all of us to live and raise our families.

I have lived with my wife and two kids in Charlestown for almost a decade now and I can witness from my living room window on a daily basis the gridlock that is created on Rutherford avenue during rush hour. It doesn’t take a math genius or traffic expert to determine that reducing several lanes of traffic in to two going over the Charlestown bridge will create a mess, as it does every morning that I am trying to drive my kids to School. In addition, the highway style street we have going through our neighborhood today has cars traveling at very high speeds in very close proximity to pedestrians and children at play.

There is a new bridge coming which has a nice wide sidewalk and bike lane, a bus lane and you guessed it still two lanes of traffic. It looks great but it seems that “nice” ends at the end of the bridge for Charlestown.

The underpass option now being proposed for the Rutherford avenue Sullivan square project is doing absolutely nothing to continue the concept of wide sidewalks and bike lanes along Rutherford avenue. Our street is viewed as a highway, a concept that doesn’t belong in a neighborhood full of Children and it definitely doesn’t represent the future of urban living but a thing of the past. We have in our neighborhood one of the largest community colleges in the country and instead of embracing it by making it part of our community we cut it off with cement and road barriers.

I can’t help it but compare the Green Way with our situation on Rutherford avenue. The two lane concept with an added lane for turns, that starts at the Charlestown bridge and continues all the way to the South End, with its nicely timed traffic lights keeps traffic flowing even at the toughest parts of the day. In addition there is no excessive speeding. Rutherford avenue should continue that idea since it has the same characteristics. Interstate 93 is traveling parallel to it and there is no need for commuters from the North to use our street. The Rutherford avenue project can yield the same results the Green Way did by connecting the previously separated city of Boston and creating an amazing space for all of us to use and enjoy.

In my opinion, supporting an underpass option and a highway style Rutherford avenue indicates lack of interest for the people of Charlestown and it’s businesses, and as as a Boston Resident and a voter I will be very disappointed if my representatives don’t argue strongly against it.

Mano Katsompenakis