The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 33

58o0ton gunman 0tobe INSIDE Calendar 8 Dining Out 9 HomeGarden Letters 2 Opinion 2 People Places 7 Sports io NOTABLE Lynn Postmaster Thomas P. CostinJr.wiUretirethis Thursday from the position to which he was appointed in r. r. r. 1961 by his friend, President JohnF.

Kennedy. Page 7. DECEMBER 27, 1992 Dawn train engines rouse neighbors Blast stm stings for Winthrop families :0 1 f' GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JIM WILSON because of train noise coming from the Bradford "layover" facility as early as 4:45 a.m. Haverhill group fights MBTA's noisy 'layover' ByAmySessler SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE MAVERHILL Six years ago Thomas Wylie, his wife and two children moved to a quiet, residen-I I tial neighborhood in the city's Bradford section. It is the same quiet neighborhood that Dominick Pallaria has lived in his entire 65 years.

But in 1987, the neighborhood got noisy -paticularly around dawn and it hasn't been the same since. That was the year the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority started storing trains overnight about 20 yards from Wylie's house on South New Street "We even moved our bedroom," he said. It was also the year the MBTA built a "layover" facility next to the Bradford railroad station to store three Boston commuter trains overnight The facility has an electric plug-in system that keeps the trains warm and quiet most of the night, but at 4:45 a.m. they start idling so they can be ready for the runs to Boston, which begin at 6:08. Residents say it is so loud that no one can sleep.

The noise and the smell of the diesel engines has bothered just about everyone who lives in the area. In late 1987 the neighbors formed the Wood School Neighborhood Association, named for small brick elementary school that is central to their neighborhood. They began to wonder and research how the MBTA could legally build such a facility without any public process that included neighbors or city officials. Several months ago, they got their answer The MBTA violated the state's environmental notification laws when it built the Bradford layover. Consequently, it is going through a public environmental notification process now.

Specifically, in 1987, it violated a rule stipulating that all projects built with public funds exceeding $500,000 had to go through a state environmental review process, according to Janet McCabe, director of the Neck River in Ipswich. ever raised the issue," said Ball. The first stage of compliance is the environmental notification form, known as the ENF. The MBTA filed their ENF in November and the public has an opportunity to comment until Jan. 7, when a public meeting is scheduled in the Haverhill City Council Chamber at 7:30 p.m.

to discuss the matter. The ENF, filed as if the project was yet to be built, states that the construction of Bradford layover is estimated at $1,176,852 i This year, charities see rise in needs and the will to give By Andrew Blake GLOBE STAFF niNTHROP Paul Sullivan says he still geus iieauacnes eveijr time he thinks about Oct 2, 1990. That's the day he returned.to his oceanside home in the Point Shirley section to find nothing left but a foundation with gas-fed flames shooting in the air. "This will be our third Christmas in a rented apartment. It's sad the way this has been handled.

Boston Gas treats us as though we're the enemy," Sullivan said in an interview last week. Sullivan's nine-room house, along with the home of neighbor Anne Viett were destroyed by a gas explosion and ensuing fires while other houses were damaged along Grand View Avenue between Deepwater and Billows streets. More than two years later, Boston Gas still has not settled with three families. Frank Arricale, spokesman for Boston Gas, had little to say when asked about the status of the cases last week. i "The majority of the cases have been resolved.

We have made reasonable offers to settle all of the cases and -all but three have been resolved. Those are presently in litigation at the Superior Court level," Arricale said. Viett's case is due to be heard Jan. 11 in Suffolk Superior Court. Sullivan's case should be heard sometime in 1993, along with that of Margaret BOSTON GAS, Page 6 Commissioner John C.

Phillips at Castle Hill In his Being the state's top By JohnLaidler SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE PSWICH When he surveys Crane Beach Reservation, the Ipswich River or the Essex marshes, all a short distance from his Argilla Road home, John Phillips gets a close-up view of the varied habitats that give life to some of the state's rich array of animal, fish and plant species, from deer to clams. Unlike most nature buffs, Phillips has the chance to devote his full energies to protecting the diverse species. As commissioner of he Massachusetts Department of Fisheries, "ATkHife and En.4onmental Law Enforce ju. i It Ultimately the lowest bid was $2,230,301 in August of to public documents. For neighbors, the hearing and environmental reports are small consolations proving them correct in their quest for a public process.

But the larger issue, the future of their once quiet neighborhood is still uncertain. "The whole kicker is that this procedure MBTA, Page 4 and up, that's a lot of buying," said Porosky, who credited the increase to greater global awareness. "People are finally connecting what I say with what they see on television and they're finally taking me seriously. I'nra local person representing what they see in the media." If awareness is greater of the need that exists around the globe, it's also increasing for those living in our own neighborhoods. Nancy Coo per, executive director of the Tri-City Shelter in Maiden, a transitional housing program for homeless families, said the amount of help the program received this year, from businesses and churches to school groups and scouts, has far outpaced last year.

"Last year we really didn't get as much support at an," Cooper said. "This year people are just more aware of the need and are interested in contributing more to the community and to needy families, which is help we always need more of." The shelter houses four families at a time, helping them to find permanent homes, as well as improve skills in the area of budgeting, parenting, and earning potential through school, training programs or English as a Second Language programs. Families can also learn about nutrition, domestic violence, AIDS awareness and substance abuse. But perhaps most critical is the support families receive from the Tri-City staff once they leave and are self-supporting. Many once-homeless families receive follow-up services for at least a year, or more, and to them many of the donations go.

This year, for insjance, the Everettv-" CHARITY, Page 3, IT Thomas Wylie is a early riser these days Massachusetts Environmental Protection -Agency. Today.the threshold is $1 million. James Ball, spokesman for the MBTA, said it originally thought the project would cost about $900,000 and would be considered an improvement to an existing facility. For these reasons, the MBTA didn't think it had to go through the state's environmental notification process. "It was just not clear to people that we had to go through MEPA review and no one GLOBE STAFF PHOTO MM WILSON area, it may be no surprise to find a member of the Phillips family occupying an important position in the field of fish and wildlife protection.

Phillip's late grandfather, of the same name, is still remembered as a popular physician from Wenham and Beverly who wrote numerous books on wildlife, including a four-volume work on the natural history of ducks. A conservationist the elder Phillips was active with the Trustees of Reservations, which owns and manages open space areas. Phillips' father, Arthur Phillips, is still active with the group. Phillips, himself, carried on the tradition well before being named to the commissioner's post His resume includes stvits as 0 1 if 7 ByAnneDriscoll SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE has been a holiday season of much giving, sharing and need. Charitable groups and not-for-profit organizations in the North Weekly region say the awareness and support of the homeless, the hungry, the unprotected and the disadvantaged both at home and abroad -have never been so great and, in many cases, neither has the need.

Traditionally, many charities conduct annual fund drives at this time of year while others rely on the goodwill of the holidays or the impending tax season for a bulk of their donations to arrive during the last month of the year. And while many organizations in North Weekly reported they received record numbers of Teople less to but seem more to BRUCE North shelter have spare, to be willing MENDIN Shore director natural habitat conservationist comes easily to Phillips donations this year in spite of a lackluster economy some also say there are just many more people in need of help than in previous years. Marjorie Porosky of Swampscott has been a familiar fixture selling UNICEF cards and gifts at a booth in the Stop and Shop in Salem for more than 20 years, but she has been stunned, gratified and downright gleeful at the outpouring of interest this year. Last year, her daily sales and donations at her Stop and Shop stand, which she opens around Thanksgiving and keeps open through December, averaged about $300 to $340, This year, her lowest average was $560, but most days she has taken in $700 or $300 and on her most fruitful day, she received more than $100. "When you consider thai the items are $2 ment, Phillips is the chief official in charge of preserving natural life within the state's hundreds of thousands of acres of open space including its 1,500 miles of coastline and 8,000 miles of rivers and streams.

For Phillips, 46, who was appointed to the post by Gov. Weld in early 1991, the jobls a labor of love. The basic issues are terrific issues," Phillips said of the challenge of resource protection during a recent interview from his office on the 20th floor of the Saltonstall building. "And I just love, frankly, anything to do with marine fisheries, inland fisheries, hunting or fishing. I love the outdoors birds and jnammals." For longtime residents of the Ipswich.