Image via hockeyfights.com

– News covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Yet another scalping of Mayor Koch …
Image via Twitter

Boston Mayor Michelle announced on Sunday’s public policy television news show On the Record that the City of Boston would shortly be taking next steps to effect its plans to finally rebuild its Long Island Bridge and renovate its facilities on Long Island for primarily substance abuse treatment and related services.

In particular, Mayor Wu expects to see various final permittings needed to be secured shortly to then pursue what she concurrently acknowledged would be a multi-year and high ticket project.

While outweighed considerably by Quincy Mayor Koch, Boston’s Mayor Wu has him on reach, including that her plans for Long Island are for it to become a regional substance abuse treatment center.

Quincy Quarry News’ OTB windows
Image via ESPN Radio

Plus, Wu’s making the first check into the boards on a Sunday political policy television show set the stage for then scoring as much subsequent prime media coverage this week, if not also going forward thereafter, as possible to Mayor Koch’s detriment other than in Quincy’s weekly tabloid.

Accordingly, the touts on the Quincy Quarry News Sports and Gaming desk has upped the already prohibitive odds favoring Mayor Wu in this long ongoing dispute to well into the range of at best remotely theoretical.

Further, so what that Mayor Koch surely thought in recent days that the forced resignation of now-former US Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins would be the end of the feds’ investigation into whether Koch’s long-ongoing koch-blocking of the City of Boston’s plans to rebuild its bridge entailed civil rights violations per the Americans with Disabilities Act..

The reality of it all is that Mayor Koch and by extension the City of Quincy have consistently to date struck out in court on its so repeatedly found to be illegal attempts to stop the City of Boston from rebuilding its bridge on its dime to its wholly-owned Long Island from its also wholly-owned Moon Island.

Even so, “(a) spokesperson for Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said the city’s opposition has not changed.”

Cutting Mayor Koch down to size. In court anyway.
Image via South China Morning Post

Not that this stated continued opposition is likely to accomplish anything as at this point Quincy Mayor Koch does not have a legal leg to stand on to stop Boston at this point nor is he likely see all that many votes from Squantum residents come November’s mayoral election given a completed permitting to rebuild the bridge after assuring them that such wold never happen.

Granted, Mayor Wu did state that Boston would be exploring the possibility of using ferry service instead of a bridge; however, such was surely a sop, if not also a feign.

Reasons include that Boston’s fire chief has previously announced that relying on ferry service would pose grave safety problems and thus by extension his approving the use of ferry service permanently would not be happening. 

The old Long Island bridge piers
An Eric Kilby image

Additionally, various other entities with varying levels of say about things are surely of a similar mind that permanent ferry services only to Long Island would not be approved for reasons ranging from safety to liability.

Further, operationally as well as probably also environmentally, ferry service would be more to far more costly as well as variously otherwise a far more difficult way to go than rebuilding the bridge and which – again – various courts have ruled that the City of Boston has every legal right to do so no matter what Mayor Koch and NIMBY’s in Squantum might mistakenly believe.

Not the City of Quincy yet again …
A file photo

Unknown, however, is if Quincy Mayor Koch plans to continues to foolishly push back and so only further increase the likelihood that the City of Quincy could be hit with an Americans with Disability Act Civil Rights violation lawsuit for illegally koch-blocking the bridge. 

In turn, depending on what Mayor Koch might now foolishly try, Quincy taxpayers could well also end up finding themselves on the hooks for paying for ten of millions to perhaps even more in court ordered damages care of Mayor Koch’s pursuing nonsense to unduly delay rebuilding the bridge on behalf of Squantum NIMBY’s.

“Let’s make a deal (I’ve gotta fake a deal …)”
Image via Twitter

More likely, however,,Koch will probably end up settling for perceived to be face-saving crumbs.

For example, ask the City of Boston to help pay for the renovation of the state’s makeshift Squantum Point ferry terminal so that the City of Boston can use ferries to commence needed renovation of Long Island infrastructure until such time as a new replacement bridge is completed while concurrently so improving the ferry terminal for use by Quincy’s few ferry commuters.

So what that far more beneficial mitigation provided the City of Boston would be see it help out on the cost of the long-needed upgrading of the Squantum causeway so as to make it better able to weather high water events as climate change likely continues to increase sea levels as well as fuel bigger storm events.

Quincy’s (empty) ferry boat
A WBZ/I-Team image

At the same time, no way should any sane person expect that the City of Boston will open-endedly subsidize the already massively subsidized by the City of Quincy ferry service between Squantum Point and Boston’s Long Wharf. 

After all, daily ridership runs in but the dozens and thus well less than the ferryboat’s capacity. 

Reasons include that ferry service has long been even slower from home to work and back than suffering traffic on the Central Artery as well as how working from home at least some of time has surely further reduced ferry ridership. 

No adult libations available on Quincy’s ferry boat?
Image via telegram.co.uk

Additionally, ferry service is both seasonal as well as is subject to weather-caused cancellation.

That and how to the best of Quincy Quarry News’ understanding this ferry service does not offer adult beverage service and thus poses yet another reason to not opt for commuting on a slow harbor cruise however otherwise scenic.

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