Quincy Mayor Koch scratching his head
A Boston Globe file photo image

At last week’s City Council meeting, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch made a rare of late public appearance to discuss things MBTA as regards Quincy.

In turn, the discussion was what it was.

Key to an assessment of the mayor’s presentation was how he opened with an extended — if not also meandering — recap of the history of the T in Quincy that was surely hoped would lull at least some listeners to somnolence and various others opting to discreetly checking messages on their cellphones.  

That and Mayor Koch then moved on to talking up his seat on the MBTA Board of Directors.

A former unreliable ferry boat that worked the Quincy waterfront
A WBZ ITeam image

In particular, he talked up his role to see enhanced seasonal ferry service in and out of Marina Bay starting soon even if such ferry ridership faces a hard upside limit. 

The reasons for a hard limit? 

The ferry dock adjacent to Marina Day is in an out of the way location with a limited number of potential passengers living in the immediate area. 

Further problematic, others living in somewhat nearby North Quincy have long enjoyed the ability to ride the rails into Boston or risk the traffic on the Central Artery. 

A premature ground breaking photo op
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo image

Further yet, there is no public transit to and from the Marina Bay ferry terminal with at best so-so public transit connections at Boston’s ferry terminals to help see people to where they are headed.

The mayor then moved on to discussing how the long running late renovation of Quincy Adams station was still ongoing and a quick recap on the nearby running way over original budget electric bus yard construction project.

So what, however, that the MBTA does not yet have the electric buses planned to be based at this bus yard on schedule for deliver.

Up in smoke — The Quincy Way
A cheat-sheet.com image

The mayor also reiterated his plans to take over the MBTA’s old bus yard next to Memorial Stadium for repurposing as the site of a sure to cost many tens of millions of dollars sports complex. 

So what for the fact that use of this now still MBTA-owned site would likely make far more sense as well as cost billions less cents to recycle this old bus yard as a shared venue for the City of Quincy’s Department of Public Buildings and various other city operations.

The mayor also talked up the completed several years ago renovation of the Wollaston Red Line Station. 

No word, however, if Wollaston MBTA’s station long leaking new roof has finally been permanently patched, much less any word if litigation over problems with the station’s renovation have been resolved.

Elevators? What elevators?
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo image

Further posed was how $100 million is to be allocated towards finally redoing the long woefully rundown Quincy Center MBTA station. 

Unmentioned, however, was just when such funds might actually be made available, when a redone station would then follow, how tens of millions more will likely be needed, little to no word if commuter parking is planned nor any word whatsoever that Burgin Parkway would be subjected to a years-long Mini Big Dig as the plans include moving the bus platforms to the other side of the tracks to an underground facility underneath much of Burgin Parkway between Granite and Dimmock streets.

Speaking of renovating local MBTA stations, no word was offered as to when the North Quincy station might be renovated, something that once was said to funded via air rights rental income from the owners of the 600 unit apartment complex built upon MBTA property where the station once had surface parking.

Not another T case …
An istock stock image

Then again, there is or at least was litigation involving this outsized project redevelopment and maybe this is at least part of the problem.

In short, the more things seem to change with the T the more they really do not do so — at least not so much in Quincy anyway.

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