By Judy Vance
Contributing Editor

MBTA officials unveiled preliminary designs of the new Mattapan MBTA Station at a community meeting last month, winning the necessary approval of residents to move forward with the project. In a room filled with T personnel, political aides and interested parties, the decision came down to a small group of residents in attendance at the September 21 meeting at the Mildred Avenue Community Center. A second meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday October 25, from 6-8 p.m., also at the Mildred Avenue center.

While there was some wrangling about the lack of residents at the meeting, those present were the core Mattapan political activists, several of whom had been advocating for a new station for years.

"This is long overdue. We have been waiting for 30 years," said Gareth Kinkead, a longtime Mattapan resident who has been pushing for a new T station for decades.

With only $8 million for the entire Mattapan project, MBTA officials are trying to quicken the design phase of the project so construction could coincide with the work being done on the four MBTA stations in Dorchester, ultimately saving money.

The plan is to shut down the Mattapan Station simultaneously with that of the Red Line Dorchester stations in either late spring or early summer of 2005. In order to meet this goal, the Mattapan re-design will be put on a fast track, aiming to complete the design phase by February next year.

With limited funds, construction will deal with the physical structure of a new station, the waiting area and the traffic flow of buses and trolleys. The older model trolleys are being modified to accommodate individuals with disabilities and to be more passenger friendly, but upgrades to modern trains would also require new tracks propelling costs far exceeding the $8 million budget.

What T Officials presented as the proposed design is a brand new station for passengers to purchase tokens, gather bus schedules and get information. The two-story building will be located at the front of the station closer to Blue Hill Avenue. Inside the facility will be an MBTA Police sub-station and a coffee shop or retail operation with restroom facilities. A large canopy with seating is being designed for comfortable accommodations while waiting for the bus or trains.

The traffic flow of buses and trolleys, which many residents complained was dysfunctional, will be re-routed so vehicles originate from the rear of the station entering off River Street and exit on the Blue Hill Avenue side. Both the trolleys and the buses will meet under the canopy. Passengers using the trolleys will disembark at the rear of the station across from the Parking Lot and the train will proceed forward to the new waiting area where passengers will board, eliminating the need for passengers to walk across the train tracks, according to Howard Haywood, a consultant with the MBTA.

With so many pieces still left to be sorted out on the station design, longtime Mattapan political activist Myrtle Huggins said she wanted the process to move quickly and not be delayed waiting for more residents to participate in the process.

"This is a good idea, but I want it completed because we [Mattapan] tend to get things half done," she said.

MBTA Officials are forming a committee to work closely on the final plans. Residents like Alicia Tomey of Mattapan were signing up to join the committee and be a part of a major project for the community. "I'm really excited and I think this is a good thing. Having a small committee you can shape and make things happen," said Tomey.

As the Mattapan Station re-design gets underway, the T is also beginning discussions about improvements to the Fairmount commuter rail line. A meeting is scheduled for October 13th to discuss the Morton Street Commuter Line Stop. The meeting will be held at the Mildred Avenue Community Center beginning at 6:00 p.m.

In the meantime, the MBTA will begin painting the bridges at Norfolk Street, Geneva Avenue and East Cottage Street and the Dudley Square Bridge.

The beginning of what will be a long, involved process came as a welcome opportunity to reshape Mattapan for resident Mary Burks, "We've moving forward."