Daily Dust-Up

Why Be Surprised? MBTA Has Another Train Collision

2008-11-14T16:20:48Z

Riders on the inbound side of the MBTA’s Green Line were a bit rattled this morning when a train ran into another one at the Boylston Street T-Stop.

The Boston Herald has the quick details:

The trolleys crashed at about 9 a.m. today, said MBTA Police Lt. Stephen Salisbury. Riders were bussed between Arlington and Government Center stations.

Seven people reported injuries including neck and back pain, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. There was no damage to the trolleys and there was no derailment, he said. The scene was has since been cleared, he said.

Worcester Airport Gets Commercial Flights to Myrtle Beach, SC

2008-11-14T16:15:47Z

Direct Air is the most recent commercial airline to take a stab at making money by servicing passengers at Worcester Regional Airport.

Flights to Punta Gorda and Orlando, FL are slated to start in a matter of days.

However, the president of Direct Air, Ed Warneck, told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that his office has been hearing from many groups that they also want service to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as well.

“Myrtle Beach is a popular vacation and golf destination,” he said. “We know Worcester will do well with it. We’ve had folks calling the airport, golf groups from Connecticut and New Hampshire” seeking service to Myrtle Beach since the air service announced its Worcester flights.

“The phone calls continue to come in,” Mr. Warneck said. “We’re excited about that. We have designed that to be a beach- and golf-friendly schedule.”

You’re Paying For 40,000 Hotel Nights a Year in Southbridge

2008-11-14T16:09:15Z

In 2001, the US Department of Defense agreed to use 40,000 hours of hotel room nights each year at the Southbridge Hotel and Conference center.

The lease lasts for twenty years, leaving thirteen more to go. The problem is half the rooms under lease aren’t being used. But we’re still paying for the unused space.

According to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette,

Reduced travel and training budgets and severe winter weather are among challenges the Defense Department cites for use of the facility, Mr. Isleib said.

The T&G also notes that the lease started at around $10-million per year with a 3.5% increase in rent every year of the lease. By the end, it will be costing taxpayers $290-million.

Still, there is hope that the Department of Defense will start using the facility more in the coming years starting now.

This year more than 100 units from various agencies within the Defense Department held training and conferences there. The participants include active, civilian and reserve components of the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as Defense Department agencies, said Mr. Isleib.

Retail Centers Still Being Constructed in MA

2008-11-14T05:52:40Z

Maybe the people building new retail centers know something we don’t.

Maybe they know that by the time their construction projects are finished, the economy will be turning around just in time to help fill the business space.

Let’s take the Legacy Place in Dedham. According to WBZ-TV:

Legacy Place in Dedham, a $200 million project that includes a movie theatre, stores, and restaurants, is 95 percent leased. It’s scheduled to be completed in August of 2009.

Brian Sciera says, “We’re hearing from our national tenants that Boston is doing a lot better than the rest of the country.”

That’s not all. There are retail spaces springing up in Foxboro, Sharon, and Westwood.

Watch the Story:

Boston Globe Losing $1,000,000 Per Week

2008-11-14T05:36:32Z

The Boston Globe is in such dire financial shape, it was reportedly losing $1,000,000 per week over the summer, prior to another round of cost-cutting measures.

The Boston Business Journal did extensive reporting to come to that conclusion. The news is particularly tough because Globe parent, New York Times Company, is on the verge of using up its last line of credit to pay its debt on time.

The Journal notes,

Nonetheless, speculation is rampant that the Times will have to either sell or drastically reorganize its New England Media Group, which includes the Globe and The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, as part of a broader effort to address its own cash needs.

Moheghan Tribe Zeroes In on Palmer

2008-11-14T16:21:07Z

The Moheghan Tribe, owner of Moheghan Sun resort and casino, has decided to lease property in Palmer to have a head-start on the competition should the state decide to legalize casino gaming.

According to reporting done by the Associated Press,

The Mohegan Tribe announced today it has signed a 50-year lease on 152 acres in Palmer with options to renew it for another 49 years. The land is in a private lot just off Route 32.

The cost of the lease was not immediately disclosed. Mohegan representative Paul Brody said the company is spending millions now as an investment.

This year, casino gaming was rejected in the Commonwealth. The state legislature may revisit the issue next year as officials grapple with declining tax revenue that has forced deep budget cuts.

Torkildsen to Step Down as State GOP Chair

2008-11-13T16:49:38Z

He has served as a state legislature, served in the US Congress and most recently chaired the state’s GOP. But Peter Torkildsen has announced he won’t be seeking another term.

The Salem News explains,

“I will complete my term,” he said by phone yesterday. “I just won’t run for another term.”

His decision comes as the state turned an even deeper shade of blue this November. Republicans lost three seats this month in the Legislature, filling only 21 of the 200 seats.

When he took the reins in January 2007, Torkildsen said the measure of his work would be the number of Republican elected officials in office and the number of activists on the volunteer rolls.

REVOLT: MBTA Commuters Ticked Off by Parking Lot Hike

2008-11-14T05:24:49Z

Desperate to increase revenue to offset billions in mounting debt, the MBTA decided the best course of action is to target a growing base: the daily commuter who relies on their various parking lots.

According to the Boston Globe,

The MBTA says it is raising the parking rates at area commuter rail stations to help make up a budget shortfall. The rate will jump from $2 a day to $4 at MBTA-owned commuter rail parking lots, and from $5 to $7 a day at the Alewife parking garage. The new rates have left many commuters scrambling to find cheaper options.

The action even has commuters starting petitions to show their outrage at the doubling of parking lot fees, as described in a Lowell Sun article:

Karla Decker, who lives in Chelmsford, is leading a drive to repeal the parking-fee hike. She’s written a petition to protest the increase and has collected about 400 signatures from her fellow commuters so far.

“If you need to raise it, raise it 50 cents or something,” said Decker, who works at Boston University. “But doubling it? My salary sure hasn’t doubled.”

The price increase is expected to generate $11.8 million this year and $19 million in fiscal year 2010 for the struggling MBTA, according to a letter from the agency’s board of directors.

The price increase is ill-timed. The MBTA saw its ridership increase dramatically over the summer when the cost of gas reached $4 per gallon. But now that gas is down near $2 per gallon, the pressure is off of many commuters. And if the MBTA thinks now is a good time to hike parking rates – they are sorely mistaken. It is exactly this sort of action that will compel people to return to their old driving habits. That will result in fewer people parking in the lots and fewer people riding the trains – a lose-lose proposition for the T.

WGBH Sues over Digital Mural

2008-11-13T16:28:47Z

If you have driven eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike, along the extension between the Route 128-tolls and the Ted Williams Tunnel, chances are you have seen (or been distracted or blinded by) a giant digital mural on the side of the new WGBH-TV/Radio studios in Brighton.

The mural has been turned off for several months because the video mural is not functioning correctly.

According to the Boston Globe,

The television and radio station turned off the 30-by-45-foot LED display in June after it carried a pockmarked image of Big Bird, the last in a series of pictures marred by dark spots, caused by diodes that switched off when they became too hot.

Now WGBH is suing the installer and manufacturer for breach of contract and failure to honor the warranty for the massive display, known as a digital mural, which was supposed to be visible for 1 1/2 miles.

*Photo from WGBH.org

Boston Area Home Prices Retreat to ‘03 Levels

2008-11-13T16:17:07Z

Boston has its own virtual time machine, and it is in the form of real estate prices. Because of the rotten real estate market, home prices in the Boston-metro area have fallen to their lowest levels since 2003.

The Boston Business Journal reports:

The average home was worth $405,849 in the second quarter of 2005. Now the average price has dropped to $338,538 — a level not seen since the second quarter of 2003. In the past year, 85.1 percent of Boston-area homes lost value and 29 percent of homeowners selling their homes did so at a loss.

The figures came from real estate analysis firm Zillow.