The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 18

4 South THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE MARCH 28, 1999 fi. ispute slows garage construction LOW COST FULLY INSURED WORK GUARANTEED EXPERIENCED CRAFTSMEN FREE SERVICE CALLS PROMPT. COURTEOUS SERVICE 71 it i I AWE i SAVE SAVE i. "Li i 15 unnsmnsEmmS s15 ON ANY WORK I OVER $50 I $25 $50 I ON ANY WORK I I ON ANY WORK OVER $100 OVER $250 rY i 1-877-577-6763 NORTHEAST SHOWER DOORS, INC. ODD i GLOBE STAFF PHOTO JONATHAN WIGGS The new Amtrak station rises above cars at the Route 128 commuter rail parking lot Step Into Elegance Bostonian Collection Our Frameless Shower Bath Enclosures Custom made to order using the finest material to provide you with the look you desire! www.NEShowerdoors.com Tnis Has been a rfa VTAMf -lift STATION Continued from Page 1 verge at Route 128, and the station is the only suburban Boston stop on Amtrak's Northeast service.

The poorly lighted gravel parking lot is scarred with potholes. "It is very dangerous. You could break your ankle," said state Senator Marian Walsh, a West Roxbury Democrat. Walsh said she has been appalled at conditions since she campaigned at the station in her first run for office in 1992. On weekdays for several years -even before a third of the 850 spaces were eliminated late last year when Amtrak began station construction -the lot has routinely filled up by 7 a.m.

Several small signs posted in the lot instruct commuters to drive to other stations served by commuter rail. There are no directions for Amtrak riders. The nearest Amtrak station with parking is in Providence, roughly 45 minutes away. When construction of the garage begins, the lot will be shut down. Amtrak and MBTA officials do promise a vast improvement in conditions when the new station and garage open.

The garage will hold more than three times as many cars as the existing lot The station will have ramps and elevated platforms, eliminating the long and steep climb up stairs that now confronts passengers. The environmental dispute is a serious one. The station is in a formally designated state Area of Critical Environmental Concern known as Fowl Meadow, a broad expanse of wetlands and wildlife habitat along the Neponset River, on the edge of the Metropolitan District Commission's Blue Hills Reservation. The main drinking-water wells for the Dedham-Westwood district are on land adjacent to the station. "The station sits right in the middle of a very sensitive area," said William J.

Gorman, chairman of the Dedham Conservation Commission. Dedham and Westwood officials have been most concerned about pollutants that might be carried into the water by runoff from vehicles that park in the new garage or drive to the facility. The town conservation commissions as well as two of the area's leading environmental groups, the Neponset Valley Watershed Association and the Friends of the Blue Hills, have urged the MBTA to build a roof on the parking garage. This would prevent rain from washing If Call today for a Home Consultation or Fax us your ideas to start your project. SHOWROOM: 258 Willard St.

Quincy (617) 984-0007 Fax (617)-984-0008 IF, project. It involves different levels of government, diSerent towns, different state agencies and federal oC jrff i)a sat Senator MARIAN WALSH (D-West Roxbury) COURTESY FREDERIC R. HARRIS, INC. A scale model of the new Route 128 Amtrak-commuter rail station and garage in DedhamWestwood. Hint, Icawnce Qo oil original retail on selected Pendleton clothing.

Now reduced an additional 20 CONCORD PENDLETON SHOP WESTWOOD PENDLETON SHOP 1641 Sudbury Road, Concord 680 High Street, Westwood 1-877-766-1947 1-877-888-7324 Daily 10-6, Sat. 10-5, Sun 12-5 Daily Thur. 'til 8, Sat. 10-5, Sun 12-5 ment different towns, different stats agencies and federal agencies." Ian Cooke, director of the Neponset Valley Watershed Association, said the station plan has been a difficult issue for local environment talists. While most support highf speed rail as a vital element in imj proved mass transit they also wsuij to be sure that sensitive wetlands are protected, said Cooke.

Amtrak is paying for construe; tion of the. station, a three-stojrj building that will have roughly 10 times the space of the existing stai tion. Amtrak's ticketing and waiting area will be on the first floor, while the commuter rail service will be orl the third floor. Maintenance facilities will be on the middle level. i-ifi With escalators, elevators, and raised platforms, riders will be able to move easily to the different tracks and onto trains.

3 The new station will not have atiy sit-down restaurants or shops. a drive-through station, not drive-to," Silveira said. i The MBTA plans to finance coin? struction of the garage with bonds't be paid off by revenue from the facil- ity- Neither the rates for the parking garage nor the fares for the highspeed rail have been set. salt, sand, oil, and other pollutants from cars into the wells or wetlands. The MBTA has, so far, rejected that suggestion and proposed other drainage-control measures.

Stephen J. Silveira, deputy director of real estate for the MBTA, said the garage, even without a roof, will mean much greater protection for water resources than the present parking lot, in which all vehicles are exposed to the elements. "We are certainly being very careful about the water supply," Silveira said. "It is important to put this in perspective also. While this is an environmentally sensitive area, it is on Route 128.

A hundred-and-eighty-thousand cars a day drive by that stretch of Route 128." Gorman said the MBTA should take this opportunity to improve conditions at the station. David P. Hodgdon, executive director of the Friends of the Blue Hills, said, "The MBTA is doing as little as they have to do, not really caring about the Dedham-Westwood well or protecting it." Last August, the Dedham and Westwood conservation commissions, which have jurisdiction over construction in or near wetlands in the towns, both rejected the MBTA's request for a construction permit. The MBTA then appealed those decisions to the state Department of Environmental Protection, which has been trying to mediate a settlement among the parties. 'The MBTA cannot begin construction of the garage without a wetlands permit Amtrak did not need wetlands permits for the new station because under federal law Amtrak is exempt from local regulations.

Plans for improvement to the Route 128 station complex have been underway for nearly two decades. Earlier plans called for construction of a hotel next to the station, with a private developer paying for the parking garage. Westwood officials and residents opposed that plan, and the MBTA finally abandoned it Amtrak and the MBTA came up with the current plan about two years ago. Planning was overseen by a committee of government officials and, interested groups and citizens. "This has been a very difficult project," said Senator Walsh, who worked to coordinate the process.

"It involves different levels of govern i I i i I ir i I 1 vy i i I Update i dll adbxttooo vwia IT I if Brockton, night club reach accord in lawsuit allowing nude dancing .3 'H-V "For the 675 physicians who practice at South Shore Hospital, it's not about the paperwork, the process, or the politics. It's about our patients. Our primary focus is caring for you and about you. In today's tumultuous medical environment we're on your side: assembling the region's largest and most comprehensive medical staff, with a breadth and depth of specialties to meet your diverse health care needs. On Physicians' Day, I'm proud to salute my medical staff colleagues for their commitment to what matters most: our patients.

You're the reason why we're here." ing license. In his ruling Connon said that the ordinance's passage was "a purposeful attempt to suppress expression," which represented a violation of Caswell's First Amendment rights. "The judge's ruling in December boxed us in," explained Plouffe, adding that the agreement preserves the city's right to appeal the December ruling, which it intends to do. "We decided to negotiate with them and perhaps gain some concessions from them." Caswell's attorney, Thomas Lesser, said the deal was a victory for both sides. Lesser said Caswell also agreed not to sue the city for damages and legal fees that resulted from the legal fight "Frank Caswell will get to operate the way he wants to, and the city gets to appeal," said Lesser, who said the club is undergoing extensive renovations and will open over the summer.

"There was something in this for the city, and there was something in this for us it worked out well," he said. City Councilor Martha A. Crowell, who represents the area where the club sits, said the agreement is a definite loss for her neighborhood. "I'm very discouraged that other communities have been able to stop these types of businesses, but Brockton couldn't" said Crowell. "What a thing to have in your neighborhood, a strip joint!" BROCKTON In agreeing last week to drop its fight against Frank Caswell, who wanted to feature nude dancers and strippers at his nightclub on North Pearl Street Brockton officials were able to win several concessions.

The settlement of the issue, which has dragged on for nearly three years, was made last Tuesday. Caswell is free to offer nude dancing immediately, although he is not expected to do so until summer. Caswell's attorneys agreed not to pursue a lawsuit against the city for legal fees and damages. Caswell and his attorneys also agreed to comply with restrictions on how the club will operate. They include a prohibition on signs, construction of a fence between the club and one of its neighbors, Good Samaritan Hospital, outside lighting, and employment of a security force.

City solicitor Thomas Plouffe said the agreement was the best deal the city could forge with Caswell, considering the circumstances. In December, Brockton Superior Court Judge Richard F. Connon voided a 1996 decision by the city to reject Caswell's license to feature nude dancing. The city's rejection came after it had established a zoning bylaw that restricted adult entertainment businesses to heavy industrial zones in Brockton. Connon ruled that the city passed the ordinance after Caswell's initial application for his nude danc Frederick Ayers, MD Medical Staff President South Shore Li Hospital On Physicians' Day, March 30, South Shore Hospital is proud to recognize its outstanding medical staff.

Medical staff department chairs pictured above (top row, left to right). Clifford Breslow, MDanestheslology: Robert Fitzgerald, MDemergency medicine; Second row: Brian yicPhlllips, MDfamily practice; Peter Hoshlno, MOlnternal mtyjlcine; Paul Keough, MDobstetrlca gynecology; Mark Bulink MDorthopedlcs; Third ryDante Cannarozzi, MD pathology; Donna Zambuto, MDrjjdlatrlca; Richard Sullivan, MDradiology; Peter Senatore, lvisurgery..