For many years, Andrew Station has been deteriorating. It is a very busy station anyhow, with the Red Line and many bus lines going through it. In addition, lack of care, clean-up, and preventive maintenance have severely damaged it – the Station is nearing a point of no return. At certain points and at some times, the Station is a hazard.
Yesterday, Lydia Polaski of ASCA (the Andrew Square Civic Association) led a tour she organized to show how critical the condition of Andrew Station has become. It has gone from unsightly to outright dangerous in certain areas. Accompanying Lydia were Pattie McCormick and Linda Zablocki from ASCA, police officials from the Transit Police and BPD Station C-6, State Rep. David Biele, Lisa from Councilor Erin Murphy’s office, South Boston Online, as well as approximately 40 other concerned people.
Please examine the accompanying photos carefully. They depict a public service and its structure in very bad shape. We will attempt to list major problems that give a feeling of how bad conditions are there.
The lower levels of the Station structure experience a lot of leaks in bad weather. Stairwell ceilings are falling apart in many areas. We hear that problem was once even worse; it is still quite bad now. And the leakage drops on stairs and benches, making them nearly unusable and occasionally outright dangerous. Extensive corrosion is evident.
Birds, especially pigeons, infest the upper level of Andrew Station, creating huge areas where their droppings collect. The overhead bird screens need to be entirely renewed – pigeons now use them to perch and nest. The screens right under the new Andrew Station lights were left ripped open after their installation. Extremely poor workmanship!
Yesterday’s Andrew Station walk found that all elevators were working. However, one elevator sign wrongly read “OUT OF SERVICE” – the elevator actually worked just fine! And an UP escalator has been down for weeks. At times, both UP escalators are out of service.
The overall trashy look and poor housekeeping are everywhere. The Station is often a “home” to the homeless. Everyone on the walk was aware that many hangers-on at Andrew Station are users and addicts. They need help, which apparently isn’t being made available to them.
So we should all ask, “What’s next for Andrew Station?” And then insist upon an answer.
