In its first meeting of the year, the WRCNA asked Sgt. Eric Krause of BPD’s District E-13 to present strategies homeowners can use to prevent or minimize damage from break-ins.
“The best way to prevent break-ins in neighbors looking out for each other,” Krause said. If a neighbor sees a suspicious person and reports it immediately to BPD, break-ins at other homes could easily be avoided, he added.
Boston does not have a non-emergency police number, Krause said, so to report any suspicious activity, residents should call 911.
Residents should “rely on [their] instincts…if something feels suspicious to you,” place a call, Krause said, and do not wait until the next day to report anything.
Later in the meeting, Henry Allen, chair of the Community Planning Committee for the Arborway Yard (CPCAY), advised the members that the CPCAY is “not ready to give up” on the bus yard project.
The Arborway Yard, located at the intersection of Washington Street and the Casey Overpass, is a temporary MBTA bus yard, already in use two years longer than its expected usage.
The CPCAY has been in negotiations with the MBTA for 13 years, trying to get a new facility built. A design plan has finally been agreed upon, but the MBTA voted last month to not fund the project for another year at least.
“We’re looking at organizations around JP to keep the pressure on the MBTA and the General Manager [Richard Davey],” Allen said. “This is a broken promise…We’re going to need on-going support.”
The members present also debated the best way to request that a pedestrian gate to Forest Hills Cemetery on Forest Hills Avenue remain unlocked for neighborhood use.
City Councilor Matt O’Malley spoke at the start of the meeting, noting the 30 percent drop in crime in JP from last year. He also noted how “horrible” it was that the Arborway Yard project did not receive funding from the MBTA.