Boylston-Area Business Owners Eager to Reopen
The area surrounding the site of the Boston Marathon bombings is not quite back to normal, but it’s starting to get close. City officials and inspectors have been leading business owners through their businesses within the still-closed-off section of Boylston Street Tuesday. The FBI handed the crime scene off to the city of Boston Monday, but Boylston Street between Hereford and Berekley streets is still closed to the public. Keith Shirley, owner of Meridian Realty Group at 46 Gloucester St. between Newbury and Boylston streets, said the lack of access to his business for the past eight days has made things difficult. “We’ve had logistical issues,” he said from behind the blocked off gate on Gloucester Street. “We haven’t been able to write checks or process paperwork.” He said he registered with the city’s database and has been told he could things could be back to normal in the area by Wednesday night. “The city has been extremely helpful,” he said. Mayor Thomas Menino’s Back Bay Assistance Response Team is at the Hynes Convention Center at 900 Boylston St., which is being used as a connecting point for business owners trying to get to their businesses. Police and guard gates still block points of entry at each street that bisects Boylston Street within the crime scene. Throughout Tuesday, inspectors have allowed business owners into the scene, which one week ago was cordoned off after two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon in front of Marathon Sports and near Forum restaurant at 755 Boylston, according to the following staggered schedule: 10:00 a.m. Enrty to block between Hereford and Gloucester 11:00 a.m. Enrty to Block between Gloucester and Fairfield 12:00 p.m. Enrty to Block between Dartmouth and Clarendon 1:00 p.m. Enrty to Block between Clarendon and Berkeley 2:00 p.m. Enrty to Block between Exeter and Dalton 3:00 p.m. Enrty to Block between Fairfield and Exeter There is no timeline as to when the area might be opened to the public, according to John Guilfoil, deputy press secretary the mayor’s office. “They won’t open to the public until businesses and residents have had a chance to see” the damage, he said. South End Patch
City Readies Property Owners, Residents to Re-Enter Blast Zone
The blast zone along Boylston Street is still an active crime scene, but city officials are preparing a plan to let business owners and inspectors into the area on a “staggered schedule for limited access.” The city emergency management team along with Mayor Thomas Menino met Sunday to devise a five-phase plan for re-entry to the Copley Square blast zone in the April 15 marathon bombings, according to a press statement April 21. The phases include: Phase 1: Decontamination and TestingPhase 2: Structural Building Assessments and Utility CoordinationPhase 3: Debris RemovalPhase 4: Internal Building AssessmentsPhase 5: Re-Entry, Communications, and Counseling The plan will be implemented once the FBI clears the zone, according to the statement. Items at a memorial at the intersection of Boylston and Berkeley streets and other area memorials will be temporarily moved to Copley Square Park. Boston Police will return personal items left at the scene that has not been retained as evidence by the FBI, according to the statement. Menino on the City of Boston website wrote a message April 20 to business owners and residents of property on Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Clarendon Street and Huntington Avenue to Newbury Street saying that as soon as the FBI gives the signal, people will be allowed back through the scene of the Boston Marathon bombings. “As soon as we receive clearance from the FBI, the City will move quickly to ensure that the area is safe for residents and businesses to return. We will be taking steps to secure the public safety, including: Ensuring that streets and sidewalks are clean of equipment and debris and are safe for pedestrians; Ensuring that all buildings are structurally sound,” the message said. The city has not given a timeline as to when the plan might be called to action, but the message says workers are on standby and prepared to execute on the plan as soon as possible. The message noted that some areas might be ready sooner than others. The message asks those impacted by the blocked off crime scene to register online or to call 617-635-4500 to provide updated information so the city can be in contact with business and property owners as well as residents when the area is re-opened. The city asks that owners consider the outside contractor services they may need and will provide some lists of contractors for cleanup, construction, board-up and other services. South End Patch