Boston Globe story on Huntington Avenue, July 2006

Posted by John B. Kelly

The Boston Globe published its only story on the Huntington Avenue debacle on July 26, 2006, when the Architectural Access Board issued a press release announcing its fine of the city for "willful noncompliance."

The state Architectural Access Board said yesterday that it has fined the City of Boston $123,500 for failing to fix sidewalks on Huntington Avenue deemed unsafe for people who use wheelchairs or walkers. The board said it levied the fines after repeatedly asking the city to correct a steep slope toward the street. ``This continued disregard for the regulations is unacceptable," said Thomas P. Hopkins, executive director of the Architectural Access Board, which enforces state rules governing access for people with disabilities. City officials said they had believed the sidewalks had been fixed by the MBTA, which had been doing construction in the area. Michael Galvin, the city's chief of basic services, said he has called a meeting today with MBTA officials to clear up the confusion.

Unfortunately, the city was unable to clear up the confusion in 2006, 2007, or 2008. It now says that it will completely reconstruct the avenue, and try to get the money back from the MBTA later.