The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 55

Boston Sunday ulobe uiuueavum MARCH 16, 2003 Starts Stops South KNEELAND CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION Forman MOVE UP WITH Amtrak elevator, escalator service lacking CUSTOM STYLED 5 YEAR GUARANTEE FREE ESTIMATE MA Reg So Much More Than A Furniture Storel Iff I 4 Because motorists are banned from making left-hand turns onto the ramp, he said, they are using Cedarcrest Road as a short cut to get from Dedham Street to Chapman Street, to access 95 south from Neponset Street And those who dont cut through clog up the intersection of Dedham and Washington streets. "When the ramp was constructed, ample room was and still is available to have a full left turning lane and a through lane to continue on to Westwood so that there would be no back-up on Dedham Street" William wrote. "It obviously would have been a lot easier and less expensive to construct the ramp in that manner the first time rather than retrofit" According to Massachusetts Highway Department spokesman Jon Carlisle, officials studied left-hand turns "from a safety and logistical standpoint" and decided "such a turn would present problems with left-turn vehicles moving against oncoming traffic, require significant additional right-of-way takings, and require the widening of the Dedham Street bridge over Route 95." fle this one under 1 unbelievable. Rich works in Norwood) e- mailed us with a description of what happened when he picked up his in-laws last month at the Route 128 Amtrak station in Westwood. Rich had made plans to meet them in the station lobby.

When they weren't there, he decided to look for them on the inbound platform. "Well, there they were, standing there alone with two large bags," Rich wrote. They explained that both the escalator and the elevator were broken and there wasnt anyone available to help them with their bags. The station officials told them that their only option was to get back on an inbound commuter train to Boston's Back Bay station, and then they would be given a free' trip back to the Route 128 station so they could get off on the outbound ramp. According to MBTA schedules, that's a 20-minute ride each way plus the wait time for each train or one hour plus to go a mere 30 feet." According to Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel, the elevator on track 2 went out of service the day Rich's in-laws were traveling (Feb.

19), but was fixed a few hours later. Amtrak tries to put temporary Red Cap porters at Route 128 to assist when an elevator breaks. Although a ticket agent was able to direct the See Our Insert on st SPAS HOTTUBS SWIMSPAS lYDROPOOLSPAS Exclusive dealer for world renowned Hydropool Spas. Several models to choose from "Imp ctntf i ra acnariiWti Inini' to assist you to choose the spa best suited to your individual needs and lifestyles. Exclusive built-in floor suction and drain.

your spa virtually maintenance free. Judith travelers onto the train, the agent an older woman was not able to carry passengers' bags to the lobby, Stessel said. The escalator is a different story. Stessel said it has been out of service since last May because of issues with the vendor's service contract The station superintendent is working to resolve the situation, said Stessel, and the escalator should be running "within a matter of weeks and not months." Amtrak regrets "that the inconvenience to our passengers occurred and we're committed to ensuring that this type of situation does not happen again," Stessel said. Yikes.

We hope so, too. Leaving Logan. What do Stan from Canton, Judy from Marshf ield, and Ann from South Dartmouth have in common? In recent weeks, they all had trouble leaving Logan International Airport and trying to head south. "Help! I drove into Logan Airport from Marshfield via the new exit no problem," wrote Judy in an e-mail. "However, on the way out, I found myself going to Seattle!" Ann also found herself heading west.

"On a return trip from Logan we ended up in Cambridge," she wrote. "Did not see any signage for 93 south or Southeast Expressway." That's because there aren't any signs for GLOBE STAFF PHOTOJONATHAN WIGGS BILL McKINNEY "I wanted to set the example" from the top that things are changing," McKinney said. "We all have to tighten our belts." Romney has proposed merging the MDC with the state Department of Environmental Management. The agencies perform similar functions in managing park and recreation areas. Most of the MDC's properties are in Greater Boston, while most of the DEM areas are outside Route 128.

The new agency would be called the Division of Conservation and Recreation. Former governors Paul Cel-lucci, William Weld and Michael Dukakis also tried to abolish the MDC or fold it into the DEM, but were blocked by the Legislature. The Legislature has not yet scheduled hearings on Romney's southbound motorists leaving the airport, according to Central Artery traffic milestone manager Glen Berkowitz. Drivers are supposed to use the Sumner Tunnel to get to 1-93 south, just like they did in the old days, before the new airport connector opened, he said. There are two signs on the way to the airport (posted on the new 1-90 east connector off of 1-93, Exit 20) that advise motorists to take the Sumner Tunnel to get to 1-93 south when leaving Logan.

Berkowitz explained the rationale for giving drivers the heads-up on the way to the airport. "If the very people who take the new exit that we need to get the message to, to take the Sumner Tunnel home," he said. But, we asked, why arent there any reminder signs on the way out of Logan? Berkowitz said it's been a matter of space. "There really isn't any room on the roadway system to add signage," he said. Ramp redux We thought we'd written it all and then some about the newish ramp connecting Dedham Street in Canton to 1-95 south.

Who knew so many people could have so much to say on a small stretch of gravel? William from Canton wrote us with concerns about the ramp's inaccessibility to commuters from Shawmut Industrial Park. to bring to agency plan, which he unveiled as part of his budget for the next fiscal year. The uncertainty surrounding the MDC has caused some concern among environmental groups, as well as the many users of the agency's park and recreation areas, which include the Blue Hills Reservation, Wollaston Beach in Quincy and Hull's Nan-tasket Beach. McKinney has spent much of his time in his first weeks on the job reassuring the public that the restructuring of the agency would not affect the MDC properties. "The MDC is not being destroyed.

It is being improved," McKinney said. "The pools will be open. The beaches will be open. The rinks will be open. The events at the Hatch Shell will still go on." McKinney, who formerly worked in financial services at State Street Bank in Quincy, came to the MDC as an assistant commissioner last year.

When Balfour stepped down in January, McKinney was elevated to the top spot. State Senator Robert L. Hed-lund, a Weymouth Republican who first met McKinney about 15 years ago, when they were both young GOP activists, says McKin-ney's frugality is just what the MDC needs now. New MDC head aims his brand of frugality Aquaknot 850 Washington Street, Weymouth, MA 781-335-7705 1-800-287-7705 www.aquaknotPools.com We answer as many inquiries each week as space allows. Please, no phone calls.

You can reach us by e-mail at startsglobe.com. Our mailing address is Starts Stops, Globe South, 1165 Washington Hanover, MA 02339. Hospital, union draft 2-year pact After months of negotiations, the union representing Quincy Medical Center employees has reached a tentative two-year contract agreement with hospital management. The settlement, announced on Monday, was to be put to a vote of rank and file members of Service Employees International Union Local 285 on Friday. Under the proposed contract, the SEIU workers would receive 3 percent raises for both years of the contract.

The agreement also allows part-time employees to accrue "earned time" for hours worked, and will restore increased pay for on-call hours and holidays. The agreement does not include a new pension plan, something union officials had wanted. Union representatives had held demonstrations outside the hospital to gain public support in the contract dispute, and won backing from the Quincy City Council and state legislators for the restoration of benefits they said the union had given up to help keep the hospital open during a 1999 financial crisis. KIMBERLY ATKINS DORMERS ADDITIONS, SECOND LEVELS AND HOME BUILDING 113869 Thursday, March 20 Quality. 'T V.

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McKinney, 34, a member of the Republican State Committee and a former banker, is best known as the delegate to the last two GOP national conventions who stayed at campgrounds instead of hotels. "I wanted to do everything that was going on at the convention, but I wanted to do it as economically as possible," said McKinney. As MDC boss, McKinney has exhibited a similar frugality. He declined to take a state vehicle, and when he goes anywhere on MDC business in his own car, he does not request reimbursement for mileage. His predecessor, David Balfour, drove a sport utility vehicle provided by the agency.

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