Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Neighborhoods

The radical, imperfect, and unfinished transformation of Bostons newest neighborhood.

A rendering of the St. Regis Residences Boston at 150 Seaport Boulevard, slated for completion next year. / St. Regis Residences, Boston/Elkus Manfredi Architects

A largely uninhabitable industrial zone built on landfill during the 1850s, the Seaport spent most of the 20th century as a vast wasteland of parking lots and abandoned wharfs. Even as two signature restaurantsJimmys Harborside and Anthonys Pier 4first lured swarms of diners to the waterfront during the 1960s and 70s, the neighborhood remained a desolate outpost of fishing piers and a few smoke-filled dive bars crawling with Southie mobsters.

Not anymore. Today, the Seaport is a soaring testament to the remarkable speed at which Boston has transformed and is transforming. In addition to the beloved Institute of Contemporary Art and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, glittery condos, high-end retail, world-renowned nightclubs, and even, at long last, a Trader Joes have all emerged practically overnight.

Still, the Seaport is far from a finished product. The twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change will surely usher in a new chapter for the citys sleekest neighborhoodand possibly its most important one. This is the story of the Seaport, told by the people who shaped ita tale of rowdy punks, squatting artists, visionary planners, bungled opportunities, and a future that remains unwritten.

Crowds gather to greet the fishermen at a wharf in 1890. / Corbis via Getty Images

Long before the gleaming skyscrapers and Teslas arrived, the Seaport first flickered to life during the 1960s thanks to a pair of fearless restaurateurs who threw open their doors for business.

Jim Vrabel, historian: After World War II, the fishing industry modernized and mechanized. Other than longshoremen and fishermen, the only reason people went down there was to go to the two restaurants. Jimmys Harborside had started in 1955, and then Anthonys Pier 4 was the big one. It opened in 1963.

John Fish, chairman and CEO, Suffolk Construction: Anybody who lived in Boston went to Jimmys and Pier 4, whether it be for Easter, First Communion, or other celebrations. It was a Boston tradition. But when youd go down there it was almost as if you were in a different world. Youd drive through these vacant parking lots with grass growing through asphalt cracks. Youd walk around the piers and see dead fish. And youd see a lot of other things that werent that attractive floating in the water.

Joe Barry, valet, Anthonys Pier 4: I started at Anthonys in 73. The neighborhood was the pits. Warehouses, a little chapel. A sub shop on Northern Avenue. There was a dive bar right at the foot of Pier 4, and another one by Jimmys. The road was cobblestone.

Harry Booras, cofounder, the Channel nightclub: When Anthony Athanas opened that place, people were telling him, Oh, youre right down the street from Jimmys Harborside, that place is always packed! What makes you think you can compete? Anthony thought that was a big asset. He said, No, no, it becomes a destination. And he was right. He ended up surpassing Jimmys.

Roger Berkowitz, president and CEO, Legal Sea Foods: The one guy you really have to credit with putting the area on the map is Anthony Athanas. He was a great showman as a restaurateur.

Barry: The big attraction was the Peter Stuyvesant ship, which was moored next to Pier 4. It was a Hudson River dayliner that Anthony used as a cocktail lounge. People would wait two hours to have dinner in there, without a squeak. Anthony also had a double-decker bus: The parking lot was so big that he would pick people up at the far end. He was a perfectionist. Youd see him in the kitchen, in the lobby, going around to tables, out in the parking lot, greeting people at the ship. We had different celebrities come in by limo. Frank Sinatra, Richard Burton. Julia Child was in there occasionally. Lots of politicians.

Booras: Everybody was there, from Elizabeth Taylor to Speaker of the House John McCormackyou name it. They would always go in there and get their pictures taken with Anthony.

Plenty of parking along the piers, 1982. / Photo by Bob Dean/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Thomas OBrien, founding partner of HYM and former director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA): Us as a family, we never went out to eat. It was only a special-occasion thing, and my mother thought Pier 4 was the biggest deal. I remember looking around at the people at other tables holding menus, asking her, Can I look at a menu? Can I decide what I want? My mother wouldnt let us. When the waiter came around she would look at me and my brothers and say, Hell have a hamburger, hell have a hamburger, hell have a hamburger.

Scott Lindberg, Fort Point resident: During that same time, there was a dive bar across from Jimmys Harborside where Whitey Bulger took out one of his competitors. He shot him in the street.

Barry: We happened to be working that night. The police were all over the place. We didnt hear the firing, but we heard the police cars afterward.

Christopher Sproat, sculptor: I was living in the Plant Shoe Factory in Jamaica Plain when the building burned down in 1976. I lost 15 years of work and all of my tools, everything other than what I was wearing. But I had a show coming up at MITs Hayden Gallery, so I needed a studio. Somebody let me know there was space available in Fort Point if I went and talked to the landlord, the Boston Wharf Company. They said, Yeah, we have space, but you cant live there. I said okay. They showed me the top floor of 34 Farnsworth Street. You could see the harbor, see the sailing ships coming in.

Valerie Burns, Fort Point resident: During the late 70s, a lot of small production was in the old buildings owned by the Boston Wharf Company. Woodworkers, a frame shop, book binders.

Marilyn Arsem, founder of Mobius, an experimental artists group: Only about 40 percent of the Boston Wharf spaces were occupied. It was mostly an industrial community at that point, a lot of office supply and printing companies. We performed at Helen Schlein Gallery in Fort Point in 78. Ros Barron had an exhibition, Richard Lerman. Ellen Rothenberg was performing there. When we took over Helens gallery in 83, we made it available to a lot of experimental artists in Boston doing dance, video, and sound art.

Burns: Fort Point didnt feel neglected because it was a place where a community of artists was coming together. It was kind of a special time.

Sproat: I had just bought a mattress when the landlord from Boston Wharf staged a surprise visit. They looked at the mattress and gave me a look that said, I didnt see what I just saw. So I built a workbench that was 16 feet long and about 12 feet wide. There was a secret panel on the bottom of this thing where I had my queen-size bed. When they came back and said, Wheres the mattress? I said, Oh, I got rid of it. We all sort of went along with this lie.

Kelly Pedersen, executive director, Fort Point Arts Community: Newer residents of Fort Point have no idea that people were initially living in buildings that were not zoned for residential. Squatting, basically.

Booras: We opened the Channel on May 30, 1980Memorial Day weekend. My partner had bought a former disco club that had the largest capacity in the city at 1,600 people. He was kind of out of money and asked if I had any ideas. I said, yeah: rock n roll. We had Metallica in there, punk bands such as Stiff Little Fingers. We did African musicKing Sunny Ad, Thomas Mapfumo. Run-DMC played one time, and we had the New Models open for them. Youd have nights with Africans in dashikis, punks with spiked hair, and guys in motorcycle jackets all seeing the same show. Punks would come in during the day and climb up and hide in the rafters in the ceiling and then drop down later to see the show for freerafter rats, we called them.

Barry: Roy Orbison was there, and I didnt go. My friend said he did, like, five encores of Pretty Woman. People were going crazy. I still kick myself, because he died the week after.

Booras: We started having some financial problems because we overextended. We opened a lounge, started an entertainment agency, and rent became higher and higher. After we filed for bankruptcy in 1990, we found a buyer, Steve DiSarro. In his quest for money, DiSarro got involved with Frank Salemme Jr., son of the reputed head of the New England mob. They lasted six months, then turned it into a gentlemens club. When that didnt work either, DiSarro disappeared. His murder wasnt solved until 2016.

The daily catch at Fish Pier, 1977. / Photo by Ulrike Welsch/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Beginning in the 1990s, two unprecedented public investmentsthe Big Dig and the Boston Harbor cleanupsparked new interest in the largely vacant waterfront property within shouting distance of the Financial District. In addition to the construction of the John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse at Fan Pier and a new convention center, Anthony Athanas partnered with Chicagos Pritzker family (the billionaire founders of the Hyatt hotel chain) to develop the land around his restaurant. Local developer Joseph Fallon also sought permission from the Massachusetts Port Authority to build the neighborhoods first apartment building by Fish Pier.

Fish: Early on in Thomas Meninos administration, I remember standing in his office, looking out of a window on the fifth floor of City Hall. He pointed toward the Seaport District and said, You will not recognize this place in 10 years. He knew something was going to happen well before anyone else could even think of it.

Bob Durand, former Massachusetts secretary of environmental affairs: Why wasnt that area developed before? Because we had a polluted harbor. The $4 billion project to clean it up had a big impact.

Yanni Tsipis, senior vice president, WS Development: The only reason anything is happening in the Seaport now is because the federal and state governments made really significant public investments there.

Steve Hollinger, Fort Point resident: The harbor cleanup worked wonders. When I first moved to Fort Point, there was a terrible stench. At low tide, the channel smelled like rotten fish. But over the years, through the 90s, there was a marked improvement one year to the next, until one day there was no smell at all.

Vivien Li, former director, the Boston Harbor Association: The federal judges on the First Circuit Court of Appeals were the ones who required the cleanup. So when they started looking to build a new courthouse, they realized that instead of staying in Post Office Square, they could be looking out their window at a clean harbor.

OBrien: At the same time, all of these landowners saw the Big Dig happening and they knew the value that was about to come their way.

Fish: The Big Dig has proven to be the most prudent investment that the commonwealth and the federal government ever made in an infrastructure project in America. People back in the early 2000s were criticizing the billions of dollars that were spent on it, but the economic benefit today and in the future will be a hundred fold.

Anthony Athanas talking chowder, 1968. / Photo by Phil Preston/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Joseph Fallon, CEO, the Fallon Company: Anthony Athanas had partnered with the Pritzker family, and I anticipated them to be moving ahead with developing Fan Pier. But Nick Pritzker, who was leading the familys investments in Boston, eventually got into a fight with Anthony in the early 90s, and they had to split the site based on a court decision.

Li: After Anthony lost most of Fan Pier, Congressman Joe Moakley wanted to help him. At the same time, the federal judges were still looking for a place to build their courthouse, and selecting the land that Anthony still owned became a way to compensate him. They decided they wanted a beautiful building that would set a tone for the waterfront, so they chose Henry Cobb as the architect.

Gloria Larson, former chair, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority: If anything was a cornerstone for what came later, it was the Moakley Courthouse. It became a signature element of the waterfront, and its presence helped dismantle the negative perceptions of the neighborhood that had prevented any real development from happening there. At around the same time, people were talking about the Hynes Convention Center being insufficient, and I was cognizant that once the Big Dig was fully completed there would be other opportunities down there.

Fallon: In 1997, our firm was selected by Massport to develop an apartment building and a hotel over by the Fish Pier. That became Park Lane and the Marriott Renaissance. When I was getting the permits, there was some opposition from the residents who lived on that side of South Boston, as well as some people from Fort Point. I walked by a line of people chanting, No greed east of D. The fishermen told me they had hooks that would easily support my body weight. I was doing it primarily because the convention center was moving ahead. I needed it to bring bodies down there.

Larson: Once I was appointed head of the convention center board, we hired Rafael Violy as the architect of the new building, and our first meeting was in a hotel bar downtown. Hed flown in from New York to meet with us, and I asked him, Rafael, what is your sense of this? What should this look like? He took a cocktail napkin and he drew five lines on it. I thought to myself, Oh my God, I just paid $33 million for a cocktail napkin. With architects, theres a ton of give-and-take. Mayor Menino was skeptical the first time Rafael and I brought the plans to him. The mayor unfolds them, and he looks at Rafael and says, Thats it? I wanted to self-immolate. But Rafael really calmly turned to the mayor and said, Show me what you dont like. Then Menino was like, This side looks like a hotel, this looks like a school. Rafael took copious notes, and he said, Your comments will be taken into close consideration. When we returned, Rafael had madenot major changes to his design, but the kind of representative changes that were a direct reflection of what the mayor had suggested. And the mayor said, Im good, Im great. I think this is gonna be fabulous.

The new Fan Pier rises as a forest of glass, 2017. / Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

By the early 2000s, the Big Dig was winding down and plans were taking shape to surround the new courthouse and convention center with gleaming office towers, hotels, and condominiumsplus a landmark new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art.

Kyle Warwick, former principal, Spaulding & Slye Colliers: After the courthouse was built, the Pritzker family was left with 21 acres at Fan Pier. There were only a handful of developers in the neighborhood at the time, jockeying for position. Anthony Athanas still owned his restaurant on Pier 4. Developer Frank McCourt owned whats now Seaport Square, and then you had Massport. There was a first-come, first-served mentality. The Pritzkers wanted to do a reset of the site and our firm came on board to handle that. Our first hire was Ken Greenberg, an amazingly thoughtful planner.

Ken Greenberg, architect and urban designer: At Fan Pier, what we tried to do is set up the waters edge to be as accessible as possible. Our plan laid out a central park in the cove that would extend into the site, so there would be a green passage from the land to the sea.

Durand: I chaired the three public hearings we had on the South Boston Waterfront Municipal Harbor Plan, which set the parameters for future waterfront development. Those were attended by hundreds of people. We took all the comments seriously. We wanted to create open space for people to rejuvenate their souls and their spirits. Nick Pritzker would call me and scream, We need a better timeline! We need to get going! But my boss was not Nick Pritzker; my responsibility was to the public.

Jill Medvedow, director, Institute of Contemporary Art: When I was hired in 1998, the ICA was scrappy. Absolutely minute financial resources, not a lot of political influence. But through a series of conversations and introductions, I met with the millennium commission, Boston 2000, and learned about this parcel of land on Fan Pier. We talked about our desire for a new museumour space at that point was a former police station on Boylston Street that had been built in the late 1800s.

Warwick: Part of our public-realm agreement was to give away a 99-year ground lease for a cultural site. There was a proposal from the Wang Theatre to create the Sydney Opera House of Boston, and there was another idea for an acoustic venue. Ultimately, the ICA was chosen. I think the projections of visitors to the museum, the cultural outflow, the public art pieces that could spill out to the other buildingswe thought all those elements would be best for a new neighborhood.

Medvedow: When the Pritzkers and the city made the decision, I was in Reykjavk, Iceland, trying to get two tons of lava donated to the museum for a public artwork by Olafur Eliasson. It was amazing to receive the newsa kind of rare underdog victory. There hadnt been a new art museum built in Boston for almost 100 years, and the general attitude toward contemporary art in Boston ranged from skeptical to cynical.

Hollinger: The city not only announced land for the ICA, they also announced that the park on Fan Pier would be designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh, so there was a larger vision that we thought were winsbig wins. The city was showing an interest in creating a high-quality public realm.

Fallon: Around that time, the Pritzker family got into a dispute among themselves. The nieces and nephews of Nick and his brothers challenged them, saying they were not sharing the benefits of the development projects theyd been doing around the country. The dispute went to court, and Nick ended up having to sell the site. We stepped in and bought it for $115 million. At some point in the process, I met with Nick about the Van Valkenburgh park. He had envisioned a tidal basin, where the tide would go out and come in and bring in fish, bring life to the basin. I said, Nick, Im not sure how that would work. This isnt Bermuda. The idea didnt resonate with me.

Hollinger: That park by Michael Van Valkenburghwe went to meeting after meeting on it. It was in the planning documents, and it was fully permitted. But years later, with no media attention or public oversight, the then-BRA quietly jettisoned that design in favor of some lawns and firepits, as though the whims of the Fallon Company were the overriding priority.

Friends enjoying the Loop, a buzzy art installation at One Seaport Courtyard last year. / Photo courtesy of WS Development

Jennifer Mecca, president, Fort Point Arts Communitys board of directors: I moved to the neighborhood in 2004, and then about two years later the Boston Wharf Company sold its entire portfolio of properties. Thats when things started going south. The new owners were clearing people outturning off the heat, all kinds of crazy tactics. Theyd give these presentations, like, This is such a great arts neighborhood. And then theyre turning around and evicting people left and right.

Lindberg: The areas obviously a gold minewaterfront property is waterfront property.

Fallon: I rented a helium balloon that lifted people 250 feet into the air, which allowed potential office tenants to see what phenomenal views they could have in the buildings wed proposed. As it happened, one of the first people to come down and take a ride in the balloon was the head of real estate for Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

OBrien: Mayor Menino was running for reelection in 2009, and the press was really beating him up that not enough had happened in the Seaport. The Big Dig had been completed and Vertex Pharmaceuticals was looking around for a new headquarters. He basically grabbed them and said, Well do whatever it takes to get you into the Seaport.

Warwick: Vertex going down there really helped ignite the economy of the Seaport.

Fallon: Vertex moving in also brought thousands of people to the neighborhood. They needed food, of course, so the restaurants now felt way more comfortable coming here.

Berkowitz: Heres the thingyou didnt have to be a Mensa candidate to figure out that seafood on the water would work. Anthony Athanas proved it, No Name proved it. Opportunities to open on the water are few and far between.

Tsipis: The master plan for Seaport Square was initiated in 2006. WS eventually took over as master developer.

Ed Kane, cofounder, Big Night Entertainment Group: It was pretty clear there was going to be a lot of wealth moving into the area. I really wanted to do a nightclub, but I had to convince WS. I said, Listen, were going to build something like nobody has ever seen here. We ended up building a $14 million nightclub. We were all in on the Grandwe were going to outspend everyone.

Tsipis: The Envoy Hotel started construction in 2013 and was the first block of Seaport Square to be completed. Our team worked closely with the Fort Point Arts Community to put the Assemblage Arts Space inwe were keenly aware of the history, that the creative community in Fort Point had been there since the late 70s, and we wanted them to have a visible space in the next evolution of the neighborhood.

Brigitte Martin, executive director, Society of Arts + Crafts: I had lunch in the Seaport in 2016, and I didnt know the area at all. I was walking around and there were a lot of buildings but no foot traffic. None, absolutely none. Everything was under construction. The rest of Boston just did not understand or embrace the Seaport. They viewed it like an alien spaceship.

The yogis land on Seaport Common. / Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

As new apartment buildings slowly filled up, the Seaport morphed from a place to work and play to a neighborhood people actually called home. Still, cultural diversity proved elusive: Currently the citys whitest neighborhood, the Seaport remains a place that many Bostonians are reluctant to visit.

Kristin Canty, owner, Woods Hill Pier 4: When I moved in above my restaurant right before it opened last year, I was very pleasantly surprisedits all ages, young people, people with babies, retired people. Its a complete neighborhood.

Tom Ready, Fort Point resident: You feed off the energy here, you really do. When we moved here, you couldnt find a coffee shop that was open on a Saturday. Why? Because there werent enough people! Now you look at the Seaport and Fort Point combined, weve got in excess of 5,000 housing units, retail, restaurants, hotels, museums, parks.You start adding all of this up, and its a pretty impressive neighborhood. There are people who are concerned theres been too much changeokay, I can see that. But hey, the neighborhoods better than it was five years ago. I find that exhilarating. I love living here.

Cecelia Levin, Seaport resident: I ended up winning an affordable-housing lotterythats why Im here. I dont get a beautiful view, but Im very fortunate. Im in the Benjamin, and the ones who are paying market renttheyre not here enough. Its baby boomers who sold their homes in Wellesley. They wanted to enjoy city life, so they moved to the Seaport, but they still have a second house on the Cape. Theres potential here, but we need programs that get people involved on a deeper level.

Li: In hindsight, I wish wed given more thought to housing, so that more people from different income levels could live there. Nonetheless, its still possible to enjoy the waterfront: the clean harbor, the views, the public amenities.

Deanna Moran, director of environmental planning, Conservation Law Foundation: We commissioned a survey last year and found a lot of Bostons residents of color just dont feel as welcome in the Seaport as white residents do. There are a lot of younger couples there, mostly affluent residents it creates this air about the neighborhood that if youre not in that demographic, you dont really belong there. People assume that some of the parks there are just for the condos, and for people coming from Roxbury and Dorchester, theres no easy way to get down there on public transit.

Jarred Johnson, director, TransitMatters: The original plan for the Silver Line was to run the bus up Washington Street from Dudley Square, and then in Chinatown it wouldve gone underground into a tunnel that connected to the Seaport at South Station. The tunnel never happened, and they spent maybe $40 million on the Dudley section, but well over $400 million on the Seaport section. And thats before anybody lived there! The reality of how hundreds of millions of dollars end up perpetuating segregationits pretty jarring. Thats the best expression of just how undervalued these folks were in the process.

The Diller Scofidio + Renfrodesigned Institute of Contemporary Art, sandwiched between blocky new office buildings and the sea. / Photo by Denis Tangney Jr./Getty Images

Greenberg: I remember the public discussions we had at the Fish Pier in the late 90s. People wanted to be sure that the space wasnt going to be privatizednot literally, but psychologically privatized. Our original plan laid out some really strong invitations, places where people could come and be comfortable. It was a much stronger statement than what ended up being done.

Johnson: The Seaport is sort of emblematic of Bostons race problem. I dont think anyone involved with its development specifically said, Were gonna build a neighborhood thats almost entirely white and void of socioeconomic diversity. I dont think that was the intent. But refusing to acknowledge that Boston is a very segregated city and that there are different levels of opportunity for folks of different racesif they didnt even acknowledge that, then theres no way that the Seaport could have ever been successful from that point of view.

Kimberly Barnes, programs manager, FPAC: I have been seeing more people of color walking around, which is exciting. Every Wednesday we have Stone Soup Poetry at the Assemblage, and theres a lot of people of color who participate in that. Theres engagement. Its very slow, but itll be happening more and more.

Moran: This past summer, CLF brought people from all over the city to the public green at Fan Pierwe coordinated busing to get people from neighborhoods that had never been to that part of the waterfront before. We brought people in from Dorchester and Roxbury, and they said, I cant believe this is a space thats available for me to use. We had a picnic, we had lawn games. It was great.

Barnes: One of my focuses is getting more people of color, more queer artists, and younger artists into the neighborhood. People of all classes. I really want to be inclusive, just encourage a lot of creativity and communication with each other.

Medvedow: Throughout it all, a lot of mistakes were made. The permitting and variances allowed for almost all of the buildings in the Seaport to be built out to the absolute edges of their lots, for instance. There are very few wide vistas and we missed out on the open, imaginative public spaces along the water that we see in other cities.

Larson: I think the results are mixed. But Id still give the Seaport a Ba B+, even.

Chef John daSilva expediting dishes at Chickadee, inside the Innovation and Design Building. / Photo by Kristen Teig

Having finally established itself as Bostons newest neighborhood, the Seaport is now confronting two existential threats: the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to hammer the areas hospitality and retail industries, and rising sea levels that pose an indisputable danger to all of that glittery glass.

Moran: The string of noreasters we had in 2018 was a wake-up call: There was a viral video of a dumpster floating down Seaport Boulevard. But the unfortunate reality is a lot of the Seaport is already built out. The city of Boston has done a great job of planning for climate change, but weve moved pretty slowly on implementation, so the opportunity we had to leverage private development to get dollars for some of these district-wide resilience projects has come and gone. I think that contributes to a lot of fear from residents about what the future holds for the neighborhood.

Christopher Cook, chief of environment, energy, and open space, city of Boston: Is the Seaport vulnerable to coastal flooding? It is. We built out Martins Park, we have a federal grant application to put a berm on the north side of Fort Point Channelall of that is about planning for that long-term flood pathway. At the same time, we have to think about how we can provide for our climate reality that also expands on everyones fundamental right to the waterfront. I think COVID-19 has highlighted those needs. Imagine this current crisis if we had a contiguous network of open space extending from Franklin Park to the Seaport.

Berkowitz: In my minds eye, I see people coming to the Seaport this summer as a bit of a respite from what theyve endured these past few months. Sitting out on the deck, feasting on fried clams and lobster rolls.

Kane: People are still going to go out, even though I dont think anyone wants to walk into a bumping, pulsing nightclub. At the Grand, well have reduced occupancy and be reservation onlyyoull book a table, come with your group, order from an app. Well stick to a local or regional DJ. On the dance floor, weve talked about putting high-top cocktail tables out, numbering them, and putting them 6 feet apart. Were going to keep it small and safe.

Lindberg: Many of us are trying to envision what comes next as social distancing becomes the norm. The surge of new residents and retail is paused and a return to normalcy seems unlikely.

The Yotel on Seaport Boulevard shows support for frontline healthcare workers during the early days of the coronavirus crisis. / Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Canty: I cant imagine opening up under these current circumstances. A fine-dining restaurant at 25 percent capacity, everyone masked and gloved, disinfecting constantlythats just not what hospitality is. Part of my staff really want to work, but some of them are afraid. If I did reopen Pier 4, I think Id do one meal a day, maybe two days a week. Takeout only. Provide food thats affordable and healthy, showing that we care.

OBrien: Heres the thing: This could be the beginning of a transformation. Look at the first generation of retail in a place like the Seaporta lot of it was national brands. If those were to go away and you end up with a retail mix that is more local, more interesting, that could be good.

Greenberg: As bad as COVID-19 is, the worst possible thing that could happen would be reversing decades of progress in getting us out of our cars and living more sustainably. I doubt the crisis is going to send us back into our cars and back to the suburbs. The gravitational pull to cities is very, very strong.

Burns: The neighborhood association has started holding monthly meetings on Zoom, and were seeing larger turnouts. Mayor Marty Walsh joined early this springwe were thrilled. I think hes increasingly aware the residents of Fort Point and the Seaport have become one organization. Before all of this, it was hard to tell who was an office worker and who was a resident, but during these COVID months the residents have become more fully visible. Thats really different. It gives us a sense of, Oh, this is who really lives here. At Trader Joes, Im recognizing more faces, even if theyre masked. Fort Point and the Seaport are coming together as a result of the crisis. Were emerging as a block. Were giving voice to this new part of the city.

Read more here:
On the Waterfront: An Oral History of the Seaport - Boston magazine

A large three-alarm fire that began atan apartment building under construction spread to neighbouring townhouses in Vancouver's Marpole neighbourhood on Thursday evening.

According to Assistant Chief Brian Bertuzzi of Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, the blaze had already engulfed three floors ofthe development at West 62nd Avenue and Columbia Street when firefighters arrived at around 5:45 p.m.

Bertuzzi said the heat allowed the fire to spread to the townhouse complex to the west.

"Everybody has been evacuated and accounted for," he said.

Photos from the scene show large flames shooting into the sky from the building under construction.

One unit in the townhouse complex was damaged in the fire, but no one was injured. Bertuzzisaid there's no indication yet about how the fire started.

It took 40 firefighters about an hour to knock down the flames.

More:
Fire spreads from construction site to nearby townhouses in Vancouver - CBC.ca

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A: The amazing multicolored bark of this tree, Eucalyptus deglupta, is certainly eye-catching! The weather may be hot in southern Georgia, but this eucalyptus likes it even hotter. Miami and farther south are good places to grow it. If you are interested in eucalyptus trees that are more cold hardy, check out Southern Eucs (southerneucs.com).

Q: I tested my pH with an inexpensive tester, and it looks to be between 7 and 8. What type of grass sod would do well in this pH? I get mostly sun and partial shade in a corner. Scott Ellsworth, email

A: The pH test kits you buy from garden centers are not very accurate. I doubt it says on the package what the accuracy range is, but I bet it would be plus or minus 1 point. In other words, the pH really could be anywhere between 6.5 and 8.5. Most grasses grow fine in soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. I dont think you need to worry about your pH. In mixed sunshine and light shade, zoysia grass does very well.

Listen to Walter Reeves segments at 6:35 a.m. on Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, http://www.walterreeves.com, follow him on Twitter @walterreeves, on Pinterest, or join his Facebook Fan Page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for more garden tips.

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Ornamental onion is not easy to grow here - Atlanta Journal Constitution

The NFL has made some sweeping decisions as they return to facilities amidst the coronavirus pandemic. One of those has been forcing all 32 teams to stay at their home facilities for training camp. Another will be specific dates when teams are permitted to report to camp.

Either way, the Steelers won't be making their yearly trek to Latrobe and Saint Vincent College, instead taking their training camp to Heinz Field. During a recent virtual press conference Mike Tomlin spoke about his overall comfort level with staying at Heinz Field, and concerns he has with the situation.

"We have additional space than the 100 yards." Tomlin said about only having one field at his disposal. "There is perimeter space that we also have to use. From time to time, we work on a one-field structured format. Whether we are working at the indoor or working at Heinz Field. We have had several practices at Heinz Field."

Having the 100 yards, and then some, at Heinz Field for the team to utilize might be fine, but it doesn't mean Tomlin doesn't have some hesitation about the situation.

"My only concern about the utilization at Heinz Field is not space, it is about the wear and tear of the field. Our intentions are right now -- on a regular scheduled basis to be determined -- that we will get on buses and come to the South Side and utilize our grass fields here from time to time in an effort to help preserve those fields. But that schedule is yet to be determined. But those are the only concerns about Heinz field as a venue regarding the field surface."

Heinz Field certainly has had its share of criticism over the years. Whether it was the mud bowl on Monday Night Football vs. the Dolphins in 2007, or a myriad of moments when the chunks of sod coming off the turf would resemble a golfer's divot more than a player trying to make a cut on a professional playing surface.

The Steelers switched to a natural grass surface a few years ago, compared to the hybrid grass they formerly used, which allows them to re-sod the field as necessary. Plans are already in place to have the field replaced as many as three times in 2020.

Tomlin's biggest issue with the set up the NFL is ready to roll out is how much time he will have to prepare his team for an actual football game.

"Im not comfortable, but I imagine none of my peers are comfortable either, so Im comfortable with that." Tomlin said. "Physical conditioning is going to be a significant element of this process. Its going to define their journey and ours collectively. Those that are communal conditioners are working at a disadvantage in this 2020 environment. Those that are new to professional football and whats really physically required of them through the evaluation process are working at a distinct advantage.

"We talk openly about that elephant in the room. It doesnt lessen the anxiety. Man, we better have a group of guys that come ready to work from a physical conditioning standpoint, and if we do, we will be able to navigate the other challenges. If we dont, all the other challenges are going to be magnified. That is a true statement for us and the other 31 [teams] as well."

Members of the Steelers have been taking Tomlin's words to heart and have been putting in a great deal of work this offseason, and putting it on their social media platforms. However, Tomlin is absolutely correct when he talks about all teams having the same inconveniences. All teams will be staying at their facilities, and all will have the same amount of time to prepare for the 2020 regular season.

Uniformity is something commissioner Roger Goodell has preached since the league decided to hold the NFL Draft as scheduled. No one would be able to return to facilities until all 32 teams will be able to return. This policy remains true, and the league is expected to provide dates for players returning for training camps in the coming weeks.

As more updates are released you can expect to see them right here at DKPittsburghSports.com.

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Mike Tomlin is comfortable at Heinz Field, but not with time to prepare the Steelers - DKPittsburghSports.com

Your landscape will evolve over time. Plants have a lifespan. Some may live for a few years and others for decades. Over time the situation they were planted in can change and this will affect a plants longevity as well.

New homes do not tend to have any shade, for most housing developments are clear-cut, eliminating any tree canopy that was in place. Therefore, the plants selected for installation tend to be ones that tolerant full sun.

Over time, as trees in the landscape grow, they produce a shade canopy that may not be agreeable to the plants around them. The sod surrounding these trees must acclimate from a sunny to shady environment, if able to do so.

Sun-loving plants that are now in a shade situation can encounter more disease, weaker growth, and a slow steady state of decline. Age can be a factor as well, since most shrubbery peak at about 10 years and then slowly decline after that point.

When it comes to grass, some varieties are more shade tolerant than others. Most new homes will have full-sun tolerant sod installed because there is no shade. In time, this grass may thin out under tree canopy because of lack of sunlight.

Homeowners will redecorate and change up things inside the home, but forget to give the same degree of attention to the landscape. It is the landscape that makes the first impression to someone visiting your home, not the interior dcor.

Plants can also be trendy. I can look at some properties and tell you approximately how old the landscape is because of the mix of plants in it. Currently, tropical plants are in but once we have a hard winter and these die out a new trend will begin, and those landscapes will look dated.

It may be time for you to really look at your landscape and determine if it needs to be refreshed. Old and scruffy plants will most likely never look better than they do now. Just like an old sofa, it may be time for them to go.

Readers may e-mail questions or contact Keith at: keithfuller602@att.net.

Excerpt from:
Whats Growing: Landscape refresh - The Ledger

Evaluation is a curious thing. Youre trained to look for little particulars that set one profile above the other, one pitch mix sized up against the next, a River Rascal against a Loon, a switch- wait.

Whats a River Rascal?

For a minor-league baseball team, which prides itself on providing family-friendly fun, mascots provide between-inning entertainment and bleacher hijinks. They are even more important to the ballpark experience than their big-league cousins. Theyre also, quite often, much weirder and esoteric. While the minor-league season is all but an official wash, the mascots remain. They will outlive us all.

So how do you determine which ones are the best? Thats what were here to determine.

A few things to keep in mind about the evaluation process:

Mascots develop at their own pace. Talons take time to grow and inflating an inner tube around a pig isnt a process that happens...

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From Sod Poodles to Nuts, we picked the best mascot in MiLB - The Athletic

Brothers Jordan and Aaron Netzel love a well-manicured lawn.

The two brothers, who live in Siloam Springs, love it so much that their enjoyment of keeping short, neatly-trimmed, healthy grass has turned into a hobby over the last five years and has resulted in the creation of their own YouTube page, a social media presence in the lawn-care community and more than 115 videos of their work to watch.

"I've always been into golf," said Aaron Netzel, 33, who's a cabinet salesman for Mid-America Cabinets in Gentry. "(Jordan's) somewhat of a golfer. I guess we've always been kind of in love with that look and short grass. We always would be chipping in the yard at our parents' house. I made a little chipping green once upon a time. I had a 90-yard chipping green I practiced on. I always wanted something in the yard, so that's what started it -- cutting it so short we could play golf in our own yard."

You might know Jordan Netzel, 31, by his day job -- an optometrist at Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates in Siloam Springs. But on YouTube, he is known as the "Right Tool" and Aaron Netzel is the "Left Tool." And since the fall of 2018, they've become known together in the online lawn-care community as "The Lawn Tools."

The Right Tool and Left Tool designation comes from their official logo, which is on every platform The Lawn Tools post on.

Their projects can be found on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The Lawn Tools also have their own YouTube channel, where in less than two years they've posted more than 115 videos and have accumulated a following of more than 8,200 subscribers. Since posting their first video in November of 2018, their combined views have topped more than 1.6 million according to counter on The Lawn Tools' YouTube page.

A 'reel' beginning

It all began in the summer of 2016 with the brothers living in a pair of neighboring duplexes and trying to figure out the best way to care for the lawns, including a shared area of grass between the two buildings.

"They didn't put a fence down the middle of our two duplexes and we shared a yard," Jordan Netzel said. "I guess I suggested getting a mower. We'll get one mower and share it."

Aaron Netzel liked that idea but with a twist. He wanted to get a manual reel mower.

"One of those old-school mowers with no motors," Aaron Netzel said. "I just wanted to cut it shorter."

The brothers enjoyed the cut of the manual reel mower more so than that of a rotary mower, but they quickly learned that the manual reels had their own problems.

"As the grass started growing like crazy, if you get behind at all with the manual reel mower, it got really tough," Jordan Netzel said. "You would have to stay on top of it. So if you got behind at all, go on vacation, come back, you would have to mow it three to four times to get it cut back down."

Jordan Netzel quickly got tired of the extra work that the manual reel was causing, so he decided to upgrade.

He went on to Craig's List and found a homeowner's Tru-Cut H-20

"That made it a lot easier than cutting it (with a manual reel)," Jordan Netzel said. "It's not as stressful for the grass and you can actually cut it a lot shorter than if you're pulling it and tearing it with a rotary mower."

Late in the winter of 2019, Jordan Netzel upgraded to a Toro GreensMaster 1000 mower that he uses today, but he admits the days of the manual reel and the results it gave on his lawn convinced him this was the way he wanted to go.

"The first manual reel mower starts a slippery slope, because once you get one of those, I feel like you can't go back," Jordan Netzel said. "It just doesn't cut the same when you go to a rotary. You get hooked on the way it cuts."

'The Lawn Tools'

Somewhere along the way, the Netzel brothers decided it might be fun to play with their yard -- and film it.

"It was the fall of 2018," Jordan Netzel said, "and I wasn't mowing anything."

That summer, he had just moved into his newly built house, which included a freshly sodded yard.

"I think I thought my lawn was nicer than it was at the time," he said.

Jordan Netzel thought it would be neat to start a YouTube channel of the care of his lawn.

"There are a lot of other people doing it on YouTube," he said. "It feels more like social media than a TV show. It used to be only a handful of people had YouTube channels. Now its almost like, just because of the number of people that are doing it, there's a smaller barrier to entry. You can film it on your phone and everybody had a good quality camera on their phone. ... There were a handful of other people doing it, and I just thought, 'Well, I can do that.' So I just started thinking about it more and decided to post."

The first video by The Lawn Tools -- "Planting Bulbs/Work in the fall - Enjoy in the spring" was posted to YouTube on Nov. 4, 2018, and was more than 9 minutes long.

"That's a terrible time to start a YouTube channel," Jordan Netzel said with a laugh.

The first video received around 500 views, but the second, "JackHammer - Rock in my yard," which was released on Nov. 16, 2018, had more than 7,600 views.

"There's a pretty good community -- a lawn care community on YouTube," Jordan Netzel said. "That's where you start. Somehow you post a couple of videos and a handful of people find you and YouTube starts suggesting you to people who are really into lawn care. There's a few hundred people that are really into it and watch all of the channels and all the videos and really like having conversations back and forth. ... There are a handful of people who are just really way too into grass, they'll watch anything (related to) grass. That's how you get started."

Since the first post, The Lawn Tools have posted about all kinds of projects, with some of the most popular being on the topic of sand leveling the yard. Two posts in the fall of 2019 received more than 14,000 views apiece, and another, "Leveling Yard BEFORE Sod" posted this past April had more than 20,000 views.

But the most watched video -- and it's not even close -- has been "Top Dressing and Leveling with Sand for Flat Lawn," which went completely viral with more than 1.1 million views.

The Lawn Tools' videos range in topics on just about anything including planting flowers, killing weeds, reviews of lawnmowers, fertilizer, leveling, Christmas lights, winter projects and so much more.

They've also gotten sponsors from a fertilizer company called Lawnstar, who have provided free liquid fertilizer and liquid iron, which provide content for videos. They've also received three lawnmowers to review and make videos with.

'LT Turf' series

In May of 2019, Jordan Netzel got a call from Connor Ward, another lawn enthusiast on YouTube who has more than 63,400 subscribers. Ward asked him when The Lawn Tools were going to travel out to Utah and make a video on his lawn.

"We thought that was pretty huge that this bigger YouTuber wanted us to come out," Jordan Netzel said.

While they were in Utah, lawn lovers, Jeremy Of the Greener Lawn and Brett Goodyear of Brett's Grasscapades, who both live in the Salt Lake City area, also wanted The Lawn Tools to come do a video on their yard. Goodyear also started a YouTube channel around the same time.

"It's kind of a thing in the lawn care community," Aaron Netzel said. "You go to somebody's house and you mow their lawn for them, and then you just kind of do videos together. It's fun."

And so began what turned into The Lawn Tools' series called "LT Turf," where instead of filming at their own houses, they go to other people's houses and make videos of their lawns and mowers.

Posting videos with other lawn care enthusiasts on YouTube has helped expand the reach of The Lawn Tools. Their videos may be seen by someone visiting an established YouTuber's page, and then they subsequently start following The Lawn Tools.

That's when The Lawn Tools have seen their biggest jump in subscribers.

The Lawn Tools' travels have taken them to Fort Smith, where they met John Ware of LawnForum.com

"That's where I learned everything when I first started," said Jordan Netzel, regarding the website. "It's a forum of people who know way more about grass than you could ever imagine and give advice and tips."

Jordan Netzel's in-laws live in the Tampa, Fla., area and there's another lawn enthusiast in the area -- Allyn Hane, aka The Lawn Care Nut -- and Netzel filmed an LT Turf with Hane episode there. Hane has almost 350,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel.

"That was big," Jordan Netzel said. "We go down there and make a video, and all his followers see it and you get a big bump (in subscribers) there."

Jordan Netzel said the biggest jump in subscribers came last July because of a sand leveling video -- "Top Dressing and Leveling with Sand for Flat Lawn" -- that just "took off." As of this writing, the video has had more than 1.1 million views.

"I had 20 tons of sand all over my yard to level it," he said. "That video just took off for whatever reason. I put it up Friday noon. I woke up the next day to see on my analytics that it had 1,000 views per hour. I was getting notifications like crazy. ... It had 100,000 views after a week. ... That video is still doing really well."

The Lawn Tools had planned to film season two of the LT Turf series this year, including a trip to Arvest Ballpark, home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals baseball team, but have been delayed by the covid-19 pandemic.

"I had talked to their greenskeeper," Jordan Netzel said. "Whenever things open back up we'll go out there and do one. They'll show us how they care for it."

Jordan Netzel also has talked to the tennis courts managers at the University of Arkansas. He would like to do the same one day at any of the UA sports facilities, including Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium or Baum-Walker Stadium.

Making the videos

Making the videos that are posted on YouTube require a lot of work in a lot of different areas.

There's obviously filming that takes place on each project, but there's also editing, which can take up tons of time, the Netzel brothers agree.

Aaron Netzel points to his brother as the one who does the lion's share of the work.

"So up to this point, he's done maybe 98 percent of everything, and that's maybe accurate," Aaron Netzel said. "I will say this. When we started, I was in a 'not do anything' phase in my life and he was like, 'Aaron loves YouTube' and 'Get Aaron off his butt.' That played a part of it."

Aaron Netzel credited his brother for being the one who is active in chat rooms and forums and making calls to other lawn enthusiasts.

"I was always called the elusive left tool," Aaron Netzel said. "People never saw me. I never commented on the forums. I'm like, 'I don't know how computers work. I never talked to anybody.' I really think that played a part of it."

On the projects themselves, it's mainly getting a camera and a tripod, turning the camera on and doing the work.

"A lot of it, say more than half, has been just put the camera on the tripod and move it around a lot," Aaron Netzel said. "A lot of stuff I'll man the camera and try and get some cool shots."

Said Jordan Netzel: "A lot of these YouTubers, they're the only person doing it as far as I know. We're the only lawn care YouTube channel of two people. Everybody else just puts the camera on a tripod and moves it around a lot and just mows strips then moves it around and change up videos."

The brothers also deploy a drone with a camera to get overhead shots.

"I think he had the drone before he ever started the channel," Aaron Netzel said.

Another rule is everything gets filmed. Even when a newspaper photographer is up on a ladder taking feature photos for this story, it's filmed.

"I just remember, especially in the early days, someone would put down the camera and the other person would do something stupid and be like, 'Did you get that?'" Aaron Netzel said. "'No I didn't get that, I thought we were done filming.'"

Jordan Netzel said when he went down to Florida to visit Hane, he was given a good piece of advice on leaving the camera rolling.

"When I would turn off the camera, something would happen, and (Hane) would say, 'You've got to keep that thing on man. You never know what you're going to miss,'" Jordan Netzel said. "His advice was film everything. You can edit out what you don't want. But you can't edit something you didn't film."

Said Aaron Netzel, "Then the more you film, the more editing there is."

"It's a double-edged sword," Jordan Netzel replied "It takes longer for editing for sure."

"The editing sucks," Aaron Netzel said. "It's so much fun (filming) the videos, but then you put it on the computer and you're like 'Aw crap I got to actually make the video now.'"

Jordan Netzel wakes up around 3:45 a.m. every morning to make time for editing.

"Everybody else is still asleep," he said. "I learned early on that if I wanted to do this, it couldn't interfere with family time. I had to do it at a time when everybody else was asleep."

Aaron Netzel, on the other hand, does a lot of his editing at night.

Personal favorites

The Lawn Tools each have their personal favorites in videos they released.

For Jordan Netzel, it was the video of his son's third birthday party where he turned his backyard into a miniature golf course.

"To me it was really personal that I made this miniature golf course for my son's third birthday," Jordan Netzel said. "All his friends came over and all family were here playing miniature golf and it was a great day. I remember the feeling of the day and I associate (that) with the video."

Another great family video happened recently when The Lawn Tools built a baseball mound at Aaron Netzel's house and invited over all the kids.

"I love watching that video because it's all our whole family just out there playing baseball and it's a fun day and it's a good memory for us," Jordan Netzel said. "It's nostalgic and it's my family and I love it. But that's not one of those videos that's going to go viral or anything. Some weird topics tend to get more views for lawncare."

Aaron Netzel said at the time of this interview that his favorite video may be coming up soon in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

"We've got a couple of good ones coming up really soon," Aaron Netzel said. "We've got a couple of other friends who really love making videos. Others are good at making animation. They're able to do some really cool stuff we would never be able to figure out to do.

Said Jordan Netzel: "We'll fine tune the LT Turf series over time and make it better and better and make it feel more cinematic as we fine-tune our editing skills and videography and everything. That's going to be really cool."

Adam Sandler's yard

Is there an end goal in sight for The Lawn Tools? Maybe, if you ask Aaron Netzel.

"We're not stopping until we mow Adam Sandler's yard," Aaron Netzel said. "That's been our goal from day one."

Aaron Netzel is a huge fan of actor Adam Sander's movies, according to Jordan Netzel.

"He has seen every movie in chronological order, I don't know how many times," Jordan Netzel said of his brother.

"I don't know if (Sandler) likes his yard mowed," Aaron Netzel replied, "but I would like it."

Jordan Netzel said his brother's wife once asked them both, what is the end goal of the Lawn Tools? When will you think you've made it?

"I didn't have an answer for that," Jordan Netzel said. "I don't know. We're just doing this for fun. We'll see what happens.

"(Aaron) pretty quick comes up with, 'When we do an LT Turf episode on Adam Sandler's yard, that's when we'll know we've made it.' So I didn't have a goal, but now my goal is to get him on Adam Sandler's yard and do an LT Turf episode."

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsAn overhead shot of Jordan Netzel's house on the Fourth of July in 2019. Stars and stripes were cut into the yard with USA below that. Red, white and blue smoke also garnish the layout.

Graham Thomas/Herald-LeaderBrothers Jordan Netzel, left, and Aaron Netzel have their own YouTube channel called "The Lawn Tools." The two have posted more than 100 videos since November 2018 and have had more than 1.6 million views on their site.

Graham Thomas/Herald-LeaderThe Lawn Tools pride themselves in well manicured lawn and nice equipment.

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsJordan Netzel uses an implement to sand level his yard.

Photo courtesy of The Lawn ToolsThere's nothing like having a putting green in your own backyard. The length of golf course grass was part of the inspiration behind The Lawn Tools.

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Grass is greener with The Lawn Tools - NWAOnline

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Sprinklers irrigate a lawn in this file photo.(Photo: The Spectrum & Daily News file photo)

Enoch City has begun testing a new drip irrigation system in its Jones Memorial Park that could potentially bring massive water savings to Iron County if implemented more broadly.

The Florida-born technology, called Responsive Drip Irrigation (RDI or GrowStream), consists of non-biodegradable tubing that is installed underneath existing sod or crops.

Once underground, a porous material meters out water in response to chemical exudates released by thirsty roots. In this way, the RDI system claims to only expend the exact amount of water plants needs to grow, right in the spot where they need it.

A non-peer reviewed study of the RDI system used to grow livestock feed grasses in Kenya has already indicated that water savings of up to 84% are possible, while supporting a 19% increase in plant yield. According to Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson, the system is also in use in parts of California and the Middle East.

We are grateful to Enoch City for modeling this system and hope to see many more water-wise irrigation systems throughout the community in the future, Enoch City Councilman and CICWCD Board Member David Harris said. We cant afford to waste such a precious resource.

2020 Utah Primary: What to know and who you can vote for in the mail-only June 30 election

Compared to standard sprinkler systems that saturate lawns and fields while losing water to wind and evaporation, effective delivery of water directly to plant roots could help inch Iron County closer to ambitious water conservation goals.

Over 5,300 acre-feet of water in the Cedar Valley is used for municipal and residential purposes, Paul Monroe of the Central Iron County Water Conservation District (CICWCD) said. It is essential for the municipalities to work together and take advantage of new technologies to help lower that water usage.

The CICWCD sponsored installation of the RDI system in Jones Memorial Park with a $6,400 grant to Enoch City. Over the next couple of years, water and cost savings will be tracked in the park and compared with other parks in the area without the RDI system. However, Enoch is confident in itspotential and is already planning on expanding its use of the technology.

We will be installing more in another of our parks in the near future,Dotson said. And that could be a huge benefit. If this machine can reduce consumption by 60% in everybody's lawn, I mean, that's a huge savings of water.

Related: Party bonfires have residents worried over wildfire risks

A June 2020 report by the CICWCD Water Advisory Committee confirmed prior estimates that Cedar Valley has been overdrawing groundwater, its primary water source, by about 7,000 acre-feet per year for several years. This has necessitated the development of a Groundwater Management Plan for Cedar Valley that aims to reduce water consumption and educate the public about the need to carefully manage water resources as Cedar Valleys population continues to grow.

With the CICWCD service area population expected to nearly double in the next few decades, from just over 49,000 currently to nearly 97,000 by 2050, the need to manage available water resources by adopting new water-saving technology like RDI is becoming an urgent issue that will affect residents of all valley municipalities.

Ultimately everyone's in this same basin together so that's why we pitched in, Monroe said. It's a collaborative effort, and it has to be. Water is regional and it doesn't have boundaries.

Joan Meiners is an Environment Reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News through the Report for America initiative by The GroundTruth Project. Follow her on Twitter at @beecycles or email her at jmeiners@thespectrum.com.

Read or Share this story: https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/2020/06/23/enoch-city-testing-new-water-saving-responsive-drip-irrigation-system/3240436001/

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Responsive Drip Irrigation system part of Enoch City's new water-saving efforts - The Spectrum

Day Results10 / 4-5-52020 Overall 717717 / 255-236-279Win % of Top Pick35.56%Payoff % of Top 3 Picks Overall35.80%2020 Top Pick in the Money 455-71763.46%Top Selection ITM / CD Spring-Summer: 136-21962.10%Top Selection Win / CD Spring-Summer: 76-21934.70%Key Horses @ CD Spring-Summer:26-11-6-542.31% Win / 84.62% ITMKey Horses in 2020 99-34-23-1534.34% Win / 72.73% ITM

(Gene & LA at the Eagles Nest on KY Lake. Just happy the dock didnt plummet into the water while we were there)

Here we go. Big week of racing at Churchill Downs which will feature the G2 Stephen Foster and a host of other Stakes events this coming Saturday.

Dont you wish now that we could go and watch?

There will be Midnight Bisou and Serengeti Empress two of the best fillies and mares in the entire world running here.

There will be Toms dEtat, By My Standards and Owendale competing three major contenders for Breeders Cup races in November racing right here.

There will be two of the best Stakes events for the 2YOs being conducted here.

Yet, we cant go to see.

But, we can go to TwinSpires.com to bet.

First things first, though, and we will kick start things on Thursday.

Heres a closer look and our selections:

1st: 1-5-2/4-3-7-6Our Secret Agent (1)draws the rail for this tricky 7-furlong event, where the horses start up the shoot. Must either break well and move out to get the gap, or take back and get an angle through the gap. Tough spot to draw the rail. Plus, the HOF trainer is a meager 1-for-30 this meet. Does have 5 seconds and 2 thirds. If not for the rail and the cold stats this meet, this one might figure more prominently. But you have to be a bit skeptical here.Gold Button (5)will be making the career debut for a barn operator that has gone 3-1-2 in just 10 starts this meet. Only wins with .07% of those debuting in the MCL ranks, though, and that does throw a bit of cold water on the impulse. Is training well and the jockey has won with .40% of the last 5 starts for this barn. Take note.Better With Age (2)will be making the first career start for a new barn operation. They hit with .14% of those making the debut. Two races back, this one ran a huge one over the sandy grass course of Gulfstream Park. That effort could be good enough here today. Love the rider switch.I bet the 5-2 take note across the board and then box the top 3 in oneexacta. I will key the top 3 over/under the 4-3 in two smaller units.

2nd: 6-1-7/5-2/3Magine (6)is a 3YO daughter of Tapiture and goes for a barn that has been red hot of late. Over the last two weeks, the trainer/jockey combo have teamed up to go 5-1-4 in the last 12 races. Barn is up to a .20% win rate this meet and the work here on June 4 was spot on. Looks good in this spot.Gone Glimmering (1)is another from the barn of Tom Amoss. This one has been running in Stakes races for much of her career. Now, she drops into the claiming ranks for the first time. Barn hits with .23% of those. Gets the blinkers, too. Barn hits with .21% of those, too. Team Amoss looks salty in this one.I bet the 6-1 across the board and then box the top 3 in one exacta. I will key the 6-1 over/under the 7-5-2-3 in two smaller units.

3rd: 6-8/3-1-2/5-4This is the first grass event of the day and I will give the edge toZabava (6),who comes from the barn of Mike Maker. Won the last time out and this barn hits with .29% of those trying to repeat in the claiming ranks. Work at the CD Training Center on June 19 was spot on, too. Gets a huge rider switch and looks the best here. Could be much the best.Foxtail (8)drops into the claiming ranks after facing much tougher and will make the 2020 debut here, too. Barn hits with .18% of those away from the races this long. Gets a top lawn rider in the irons today. Dam of this one has 2 turf winners from 3 starters. Pedigree is there.I bet the 6 to win/place/show and then box the 6-8 in one exacta. I will key the 6 over/under all the numbers listed in two smaller units.

4th: 5-2/6-4-7-3/1Galindo (5)has only 1 win in 16 lifetime tries. Not good. But the 4YO gelding does have 5 seconds and 3 thirds to add to the resume. Good. Drops to a career low price tag here and in 6 tries over this track? Has 5 seconds. May not be able to win, but most likely to run good in this bunch.Holy Muchacho (2)was nominated to the Triple Crown, for goodness sakes. Now, he is offered up for $20,000. Ran a solid second here on June 4. Meets top rider takes the reins again. Could be a tough out with a better trip today.I bet the 5 across theboard and then box the 5-2 in one exacta. I will key the 5 over/under the all button here.

5th: 7-9-5/8-1/6-4-3Digital Star (7)will be making the first start for a new barn operator after being claimed last time out. Bumps up a couple of price rungs after the acquisition, but could be tough in this spot today. Over the last six starts, this 3YO son of The Factor has 3 seconds and 2 thirds. May be his day today. Barn wins with .33% on the first race after a claim.Zapper Van Winkle (9)has not run since last July. But the barn hits with .20% of those away from the race a long time, and this one drops to the MCL ranks today, too. Barn hits with .30% of those kind. Gets a steady hand on the reins today.Jack Luvs Nova (5)will make the career debut here for a barn that wins with .20% of those running for the first time in a MCL event. Has been training well and the sire gets .16% winners in the inaugural race. Dam of this one has a winner from 2 starters. Pedigree is there to produce a winner first out.I bet the 7 to win/place/show and then box the top 3 in the exacta. I will key the 7 over/under all the numbers listed in two smaller units.

6th: 7-3-(11)/2-1-4-(12)/8-9/10-6-5Angel of Mischief (7)is a 5YO daughter of Into Mischief and a daughter of a Stakes winner, too. Dam has produced 2 turf winners from 6 starters. Drops into the claiming ranks for the first time for a young trainer looking for his first win of this meet after 13 tries. Gets a top grass rider up for the assignment and if this one can find the groove again, then watch out.Fancified (3)has a win in only race at this distance and has 2 wins in 3 tries over the sod. Looks like the last race was a debacle, but the two before were spot on. Gets the meets top rider back this time. Watch out.I bet the 7-3 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exacta. I will key the 7-3 over/under the 11-2-1-4-12-8-9 in two smaller units.

7th: 5-7/4-3-1/2-6Figure It Out (5)moves up a couple of notches in the claiming game after a near-miss second last time out. Lost by a nose in that one and the show horse came right back to win the next outing. This will be the 2nd start off a layup, and the barn hits with .22% of those. Big shot here.High Regard (7)has only 2 wins in the 16 starts, but seems to be close at the wire in a lot of others. Barn still looking for the first win of the meet, and the switch in riders here could definitely boost the chances although he is 0-for-10 with this barn over the last 60 days. Will be coming late and will need some racing luck and racing room.I bet the 5 to win/place/show and then key the 5 over/under all the numbers listed in the exactas.

8th: 3-1/9-7/8-5/2-4/6Mucho (3)is a 4YO son of Blame and will carry the home colors of Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider who just so happened to breed this one, as well. In 13 starts, he has put together an impressive resume of 3 wins, 4 seconds and 2 thirds. Has earned nearly $300,000. Just missed last time out at GP, and is eligible to improve in the 2nd start off the layup. Barn hits with .17% of those.Bourbon Calling (1)has not been sharp in two starts this year. But this one has raced over this track 7 times and has 3 wins and 2 thirds. In 10 starts at this distance, he has a 3-1-4 mark. Look for more with the return to home and he caught a really, really good field last time out. The runner-up in that allowance is a G1 winner, mind you.I bet the 3-1 across the board and then box those 2 in the exacta. I will key the 3-1 over/under the rest of the numbers listed in two smaller units.

9th: 9-8/10-3-(12)-1/(14)-5-2-7/6-4The final race of the day is a turf event for the MSW ranks. Ill go to the outside and land onFlabbergasted (9)in what promises to be a fun and wide open affair. This 3YO daughter of Uncle Mo looked to have a big chance last time out here on May 17. Finished 2nd in the first race losing the shades. Winner of that one came right back to win again. So, this one must have caught a good one. This filly also cost $350,000 as a yearling and could be a tough out in this spot today. Graduation day? Could be.Daddymademedoit (8)has raced 11 times with 2 seconds and 3 thirds. Has hit the board in each of the last three outings. Winner two races back came right back to win again the next time out. Will be coming extremely late in the proceedings and will need some racing room and luck. Rider is ice cold here and has not won in 5 rides for this barn, to date. May need some more luck. I bet the 9 across the board and then key the 9 over/under the all button.

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene

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Final Version: McLean's Selections for Churchill Downs on Thursday, June 25 - The Pressbox

The City of Red Deer will begin reopening some recreation facilities next week.

A phased and gradual reopening of indoor and outdoor recreation amenities was announced Thursday by Shelley Gagnon, the citys recreation, parks and culture manager.

She said the roll out will begin with only a few facilities that will require pre-bookings and offer limited times, but will continue throughout the summer, as public health orders can be put into place.

We are excited to welcome citizens back to our facilities, but opening them within the new provincial health guidelines and restrictions takes planning, and we have had to make significant adjustments to our operations, said Gagnon.

The experience will look and feel a little different for our residents when these amenities reopen.

The tentative timeline, as posted on the citys website, is:

June 24

* Community bookings open for sports fields and picnic shelters including Great Chief Park, Setters Place and Bower Ponds Stage. Lindsay Thurber track and field amenities will also be available for bookings.

Mid-July

* Collicutt Centre: Fitness areas, access to the track and use of the field house will be available for controlled, limited access. The pool will open, primarily for swimming lessons and public swimming.

* G.H. Dawe Community Centre: The pool will open for swimming lessons and public swimming. The gymnasium will open for controlled, limited access. Fitness areas will not open immediately.

* Michener Aquatic Centre: The pool will be available for controlled, limited lane swimming and some aquatic fitness.

The Recreation Centre will remain closed for the time being.

We continue to assess and understand demand for facilities, programs and services as part of this phased approach to opening, said Gagnon.

As previously announced, the outdoor pool will remain closed for the season.

But public washrooms in parks will be reopened soon. Gagnon said the city is waiting for required hand sanitizer and other equipment to arrive, and its expected next week.

We are still assessing how we can safely open our spray parks, including Kin Canyon, Discovery Canyon and Blue Grass Sod Farm Central Spray and Play, while adhering to public health orders and restrictions, added Gagnon.

Currently, outdoor gatherings are limited to no more than 100 people, so were working to determine how to manage these restrictions while still providing access.

She said swim lessons will be resuming over the next few months.

City staff are working with user groups and clubs to understand demand as they plan summer and fall programming.

The city will offer outdoor fitness programming in early July. More details will be provided in the coming days.

And registration is now open for modified summer day camps, which will be held in city facilities in July and August. Visit http://www.reddeer.ca/daycamps for more information.

In addition, many third-party-operated city facilities have been given permission to reopen within provincial health requirements and guidelines.

red deer city

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Some Red Deer recreation facilities to open next week, with limited admissions - Red Deer Advocate