Detail: Toole Square final plan
Environment

Casey Arborway Milestone: First New Trees to be Planted

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Remember the winter of 2015? If the 100-plus inches of snow didn't depress you, there was the chopping down of more than a hundred trees around Forest Hills for the Casey Arborway project. Now for the good news, nature lovers: The first trees of the mammoth project will soon be planted. The Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that week after next contractors plan to start planting trees in the area where the permanent median of the Arborway will be. It was just one line in MassDOT's latest "Three-week Look-ahead," but it should bring a smile to everyone who hated seeing those 160 trees cut down.

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Detail of official Casey Arborway plan showing new entrance to Forest Hills T north of New Washington Street.
Transportation

Explainer: Why is Forest Hills Down to One Track?

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If you've passed through Forest Hills Station since Saturday, you know only one of the two tracks is in use. Why? The short answer is for Casey Arborway construction. The platform will stay down to one track through December. The MBTA has said it has a plan for rush hour so the closure won't cause added delays.

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Business

This is Not a Drill: Dumpling House Finally Opens

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The long-awaited Pink Samurai Dumpling House, which originally was scheduled to open in December 2015, is finally open. Twitter user John Hayden confirmed the 658 Centre St. restaurant was open Saturday and should be open again Tuesday after being closed for Labor Day. .@pinksamurai_jp @OnlyInBOS @02130News Pink samurai is so open!!! pic.twitter.com/5vDlHgr8uH— John Hayden (@anvilwonk) September 4, 2016

The long delay has had dumpling fans on a high-alert Dumpling Watch.

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Commuters leave the T platform at Forest Hills Station on Aug. 29, 2016. Soon only one track will be used to boarding and disembarking.
Transportation

T: Closing Forest Hills Track Should Not Create Delays

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JP residents recently learned that one side of the platform at Forest Hills T will be closed starting next week through December. An MBTA spokesperson says the change "should have no impact on customers other than the fact they will be boarding on the southbound side." Joe Pesaturo of the T said the agency does not anticipate delays during the closure. One side of the platform will be closed to accommodate work on the Casey Arborway. Pesaturo, in a voice mail to Jamaica Plain News, said the T has a plan so that during rush hour as many trains can enter and leave on one side as do currently on two.

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Detail from “Nieli’ka” mural by Mayor’s Mural Crew, 2013 on wall of Purple Cactus
Arts

JP Home to Four of Region’s Top 50 Pieces of Public Art

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Several pieces of art familiar to anyone from JP made WBUR's list of the top 50 pieces of public art in Greater Boston. We won't spoil all the enjoyment, as scrolling through Greg Cook's well-reasoned list is half the fun. But we were happy to see Rafael Rivera García's epic mural of Taino mythology at No. 20. Click through for Cook's full fifty to find the four that are in JP.

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Boston Police wagon for District E-13 (Jamaica Plain) on Green Street Friday, April 18, 2014
Police and Fire

Two Wounded in Shooting But Will Not Tell Cops Where It Happened

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Boston Police confirm that two people were shot Thursday afternoon -- but it's no longer clear if the violence actually took place near Forest Hills Station. Officer Stephen McNulty said the two's injuries aren't considered life threatening. Boston Police initially told the Globe the violence took place at Arborway and Morton just before 5 p.m. Thursday. However, a more detailed account released Friday indicated that the victims and witnesses police spoke to were "not very cooperative," according to McNulty. The victims and witnesses would not say where the shooting took place or what caused it, according to police.

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Bus replacement for Aug. 20-21
Transportation

Buses Take Place of Orange Line This Weekend

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If you enjoyed last weekend's Orange Line hassle, you'll be happy to know this weekend a larger chunk of the line will be out of commission. On Saturday and Sunday, buses will replace trains between Forest Hills and Ruggles. It's bus service all day and night, both weekend days. Plan accordingly! Here's what the T says about the disruption:
Due to MBTA crews performing necessary track work, buses will replace Orange Line trains between Forest Hills and Ruggles Stations in both directions from start to end of service on Saturday, August 20, 2016, and Sunday, August 21, 2016.

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Loki Quartet
From the Community

Loki Quartet Casts Spell

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The Loki String Quartet played with passion and precision in a thrilling Boston debut on May 27th. Formed in the last year by violinists MacFarland Masterton and Subaiou Zhang, violist Lu Yu, and cellist Seth MacLeod, this dynamic new ensemble is a powerful, fresh voice in the Boston music scene and judging by their performance, we will be hearing much much more from them in the coming years. The performance took place in the intimate setting of the UFORGE Gallery in Jamaica Plain, and featured the Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18, no. 2, Anton Webern’s Langsamer Satz, and the Fritz Kreisler Quartet in A minor.

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The signals at Washington and New Washington on June 29, 2015.
Transportation

Casey Arborway Project Completion Delays Total One Year

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The completion date for the Casey Arborway, which had already been pushed off three months, has now been delayed another nine months. That means the mammoth project is expected to be finished a full year later than originally forecast, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced Wednesday. The project is behind schedule due to issues with jet fan procurement, according to officials at a public meeting Wednesday evening held at English High School. The necessary jet fan system is expected to be received in August and installed this fall, and consist of six mounted fans that ventilate and cool the tunnel system, according to MassDOT officials. In the meantime, officials will juggle the schedule of what gets done when so crews can work away from jet fan areas, including Shea Circle, west of South Street and south of the Arborway.

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Tiny Library at Chestnut Avenue and Paul Gore Street
Neighborhood Life

UPDATE: ‘Little Library’ on Chestnut Avenue Reappears

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UPDATE: A resident reports the tiny library is back. And fully stocked. ~~~~
Regular readers of Jamaica Plain News know we follow the neighborhood's collection of Little Libraries. We recently learned the DIY leave a book/take a book depot at Chestnut Avenue and Paul Gore is gone. Neighbors have been discussing the disappearance of the hand-made library on a Facebook group for Jamaica Plain.

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