(no subject)

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Any word on the Korean Restaurant that was going to go in the ExDonalds? There seems to be nothing happening there.

And speaking of nothing happening, how come the city ripped out Kenney Park and then stopped working? The park's been out of commission for months of just sitting there a mess. Shame on them for doing the demo when they weren't ready to do the reconstruction; it's a waste of good space.

Anyone have the scoop on either of these?

Comments

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

Man I really hope the Korean restaurant still comes in!

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

I'd be more anxious about that happening if I hadn't just succeeded in making dolsot bibimbap at home for the first time. Sorry, had to brag. :)

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

Then I think you have to teach us all.

:)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I took the lazy route this time and got all the veggies pre-prepared from H-Mart in Central Square to save time. You can buy dolsots there, too!

[katherine fiorello (from livejournal.com)]

I completely agree with both statements. We could have really used that playground this summer & the Korean BBQ place would be awesome. It seems like there's been a lot of halted work on a lot of places in the square.

We're waiting on Kindred Tea, the Korean Bubble Tea place, social security building (seriously hope Roche Bros goes in), the gross building next to Rosebud, Rosebud (although they look like they're making progress), kennedy playground & park, M3, Eleni's tailor space, and what's happening with Pinkberry?

Ugh! That's a lot!!

[teko.livejournal.com]

Kindred looked like they were just about ready to go when I drove by the other day.

Bibim (the Korean place) was approved for its liquor license in March, so I'd have to assume they're still waiting on permits.

Is Pinkberry closed or...?

[jicama]

I saw a sign on Pinkberry shortly after the heavy rains that said they were fixing flooding damage.

[ron_newman]

How long have they been closed? I didn't realize it had been more than a day .... but I don't walk by there very often.

For a while I've expected Pinkberry to be the loser in the local froyo wars -- even when open, it often seems deserted compared to iYO and Orange Leaf.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

The one time I went into Pinkberry, there was no one visible in there at all -- including behind the counter. We stood around calling "Hello?" toward the rear kitchen area for a minute or two, then gave up and went to iYo.

[ron_newman]

I don't think Bibim needed any other permit besides the liquor license, since they are replacing another restaurant (same use).

ETA: there's a building permit in the window, dated May 2014.

[ron_newman]

what's happening to Kennedy playground and park? (I assume you mean the Kennedy school over on Elm Street near Star Market?)

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I mean Kenney Park on Chester and Highland, across from Rite Aid. They ripped it out to redo it, though after all those community meetings the plans look almost indistinguishable from what they ripped out, only they say they'll get the fountain working again. But in fact it's talking so long I fear it won't be ready in time for Honk! and it's been out of commission all summer when it's needed most.

[ron_newman]

Your post was about Kenney Park, but commenter Katherine Fiorello brought up Kennedy Park.

(Grove and Highland, actually)

I suggest giving a call to Arne Franzen and/or Luisa Oliveira at City Hall tomorrow morning. ETA: I'm going to email both of them right now and point them at this discussion.

[ron_newman]

I got this from Luisa Oliveira. Can you post whatever replies you got from her or from Arn Franzen?

---------------
From: Luisa Oliveira <loliveira@somervillema.gov>
Subject: RE: what is happening with Kenney Park renovation?

Yes, we have had some delays due to the manufacturing of pieces that had to be custom made to bring the play structure up to current safety recommendations. There are many elements to building a park that need to ordered/created outside the construction team and , unfortunately, they can hold up the process. We anticipate things getting back on track very soon. You can always find updates to all parks projects on the City’s website:

http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/ospcd/parks-and-open-space/kenney-park

Thanks for your patience.
Luisa

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

One might have thought these things would have been ordered somewhere back around the groundbreaking (which was what, almost a year ago now?) or before. Ah well.

[ron_newman]

Kung Fu bubble tea looks pretty close to finished. The front window now has a poster advertising a hiring event for Thursday, September 11.

[thedonk.livejournal.com]

I frequently walk by Kenney during the day and see something going on. Most recently it was around the sewers, so perhaps it's a plumbing issue?

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Maybe they work every other day and you and I walk by on alternate days. :-)

I'm walking by there several days a week and have in fact never seen anyone who was supposed to be there behind the fence (but hdud see people hanging out drinking beer on the front end loader one afternoon.)

[zmook.livejournal.com]

I don't actually know anything about this project, but it is often the case that construction should be left apparently idle for extended periods to allow concrete to cure properly.

[mary388.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure why they even needed to do anything with Kenney park except maybe make the water feature work again. I think it was a waste of money to tear up the whole area.
I hope this wasn't the CPA tax money at work..

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

There were some problems with the structures that could use repair, they are adding some baby-friendly structures, getting rid of the mulch surface that collected needles, and (best of all) finally adding picnic tables. The park was great but those, in particular the last two, in particular the last one, were issues we always noticed and were very happy to find out would be remedied.

Having just moved, we're no longer a couple of blocks away so won't be there as often even once it's done, but I'm still glad it's happening, and we will still be there sometimes.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

The drawing that's posted on the fence says "Tables to be provided later by others" or some such. It didn't look like they were installing tables but just saying "someone else could hypothetically put tables here." Unless I missed some somewhere else in the drawing? that's totally possible.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Bottom right: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/Kenney-DD-Illus_2.jpg
"New metal ribbon picnic tables"

(It's very hard to read and they won't put a bigger version online for whatever reason.)

Last I looked at the fence, it was the same drawing.

I see something up top about other tables, but I can't make it out. In any case, I meant the ones in the playground

why do anything?

[msiebler.livejournal.com]

Mary, if you ever played b-ball there you would quickly realize the court needed work. So I am glad they are doing that. However, I am a little surprised; it looks like they are going to put benches next to the court? Hard to tell from the pic. If so; that would seem like an odd choice to me. More than anything; I was hoping they would make the court a little bigger, but it doesn't look like they are doing that.

[katherine fiorello (from livejournal.com)]

Yeah, sorry about the Kennedy bit, my phone autocorrected Kenney to Kennedy.

Btw, the whole climbing structure needs to be revamped. It's hard for kids under 3 to climb up on it (& the proposed toddler area just includes a small balance piece of equipment-not enough to keep them busy). The bridge is way too saggy & the bridge surface was so worn out that even I slipped on it. I wish they would just put a new structure in like they did at Hodgkins-Curtin. Those structures are great for all ages & we absolutely could use something just like that on this side of the square. We also walk by daily & have not seen much construction on most days. I also hope that they put a rubberized surface down over the gravel that's there because leaving it gravel would just be a serious accident waiting to happen.

[m-b-w.livejournal.com]

I had no doubt that you meant Kenney, not Kennedy. But, the "Tot Lot" at the Kennedy School on Elm Street *is* also expected to be renovated soon.

[ron_newman]

Bibim has announced on Facebook that they will open on November 1.