The Boston Globe - 30.08.2019

A6 The Region The Boston Globe FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019

communities to consider can-
celing or rescheduling outdoor
gatherings, including orga-
nized sporting events, to avoid
peak mosquito hours.
The increased risk prompt-
ed several communities to take
swift measures to protect the
public from the rare, but some-
times fatal, virus. Holliston and
Medfield have curbed outdoor
activities after 7 p.m. until fur-
ther notice.
Residents who do go outside
are urged to use mosquito re-
pellent, among other measures.
And mosquito spraying by
truck was scheduled to start
Friday at dusk in both Holliston
and Medfield, according to no-
tices posted on each town’s
website.
Joseph Popper, a Holliston
resident, said his children’s soc-
cer practice at Brentwood Con-
servation Land was canceled
Thursday evening due to the in-

uEEE
Continued from Page A

creased risk.

“I still let them play, but we

all sprayed [with bug spray] be-

fore,” Popper said.

Jim Giammarinaro, owner

of Putts & More in Holliston,

said he sprayed the mini golf

course to guard against the

mosquitoes. The course has

been busier during the day, he

said.

“I can’t say if it’s because

school started, but the [EEE

threat] may have pushed busi-

ness towards the daytime,” Gi-

ammarinaro said.

More serious golfers are re-

luctant to get off the greens,

however. At Pinecrest Golf

Club, some players were still on

the Holliston course at about 8

p.m. Thursday, despite officials

encouraging them to be off the

course by dusk, a pro shop em-

ployee said.

Communities in the state as

far north as Methuen, as far

south as New Bedford, and as

far west as Heath also have the

“critical risk” distinction.

The increased warnings

come as Massachusetts school

districts gear up for the fall

sports season.

Preseasons are already un-

derway throughout the state,

with the regular season for

many high school sports slated

to start in the middle of next

week. The high school football

season kicks off next Friday.

Eric Scott, the athletic direc-

tor of Medfield High School,

said for outside practices and

games, students must be off the

fields by 7 p.m. because of the

EEE risk. Earlier this week,

Holliston public schools also

announced that all outdoor ac-

tivities would be finished by 7

p.m. The district said that such

an order would be reassessed

on Sept. 3, following “the re-

ceipt of further information’’

from the state.

EEE infection in humans is

extremely rare. Just 28 people

in Massachusetts have been di-

agnosed with the disease since

2004, according to the Centers

for Disease Control and Preven-

tion.

But the virus is particularly

deadly — with a 40 percent

mortality rate — and those who

survive often suffer from some

long-term neurological deficit.

Before the most recent spate

of EEE cases, Massachusetts

hadn’t seen an active case in a

human since 2013. The state is

now starting a new, intense cy-

cle of EEE activity that will like-

ly persist for two to three years,

state officials told the Globe

earlier this week.

In response, state agricul-

ture officials have sprayed parts

of Bristol, Plymouth, Middle-

sex, and Worcester counties for

mosquitoes, according to a

statement from the state’s De-

partment of Public Health.

“Spraying does not elimi-

nate the risk of EEE transmis-

sion and the public is asked to

continue to follow personal

protection practices,” the state-

ment said.

“The peak time for transmis-

sion of mosquito-borne illness

extends through September

here in Massachusetts,” said Dr.

Monica Bharel, the DPH’s com-

missioner.

A horse in Northwood, N.H.,

also tested positive for EEE

Wednesday, the New Hamp-

shire Department of Health

and Human Services said in a

statement. This was the state’s

first horse infected with EEE

this year. Northwood’s EEE risk

was elevated to high after the

finding.

EEE risk levels were elevat-

ed from low to moderate in sev-

en towns near Northwood, the

department said.

EEE hits horses harder than

humans, said Jake Leon, the de-

partment’s director of commu-

nication. Horses rarely recover

from the illness.

All animals infected with

EEE in Massachusetts this year

either died from the disease or

were euthanized, according to

the state.

“As we head into the Labor

Day weekend and the month of

September, people should not

forget to bring and use an EPA-

approved mosquito repellent

for any outdoor activities,” said

Bharel.

Those who own horses

should keep the animals in in-

door stalls at night to reduce

their risk of exposure to mos-

quitoes, and speak with their

veterinarians about mosquito

repellents and vaccinations,

state officials said.

Jaclyn Reiss, Hanna Krueger,

and Deanna Pan of the Globe

staff and correspondents Maria

Lovato and Alyssa Lukpat

contributed to this report.

Danny McDonald can be

reached at

[email protected]

Sofia Saric can be reached at

[email protected]

tence,” Pressley said.
She and Representative Ju-
dy Chu of California also called
for congressional oversight of
the administration’s decision.
Massachusetts’ prestigious
hospitals draw many patients
from around the globe. Immi-
gration lawyers estimate that
at least 40 families in the state
are vulnerable to the change in
policy — with thousands affect-
ed nationally, said Mahsa
Khanbabai,who chairs the New
England chapter of the Ameri-
can Immigration Lawyers As-
sociation.
Nationwide, about 1,
people per year request de-
ferred action for medical and
other humanitarian reasons,
according to the association.
Meanwhile, the change ap-
peared to stir confusion among
federal agencies. Officials at US
Citizenship and Immigration
Service, which has been notify-
ing affected families, said the
responsibility now falls to US
Immigration and Customs En-
forcement, or ICE. Neither
agency responded to requests
for comment Thursday, but ac-
cording to published reports
and immigration attorneys,
ICE officials appeared blindsid-
ed by the move.
“The agencies haven’t talk-
ed to each other,” Khanbabai
said. “This is a haphazard at-

uCHILDREN
Continued from Page A

tempt to try to create more fear

and confusion.”

It’s unclear if the families

told to leave the country would

even be able to do so. Khanba-

bai said she has two clients

who are in no position to re-

turn to their home countries:

one young man is hospitalized

for a mental illness, and the

other, a 14-year-old girl, needs

ongoing treatment at Boston

Children’s Hospital for a com-

plex heart condition.

The change in the deferred

action program is one of many

steps the Trump administra-

tion has taken to tighten immi-

gration. The New York Times

reported that in a separate ac-

tion, the administration was

clamping down on a special

protective visa, known as the U

visa, that allows crime victims

who have helped law enforce-

ment authorities with investi-

gations to stay in the United

States.

The policy change for sick

immigrants drew a rebuke

from Democratic candidates

for president, including War-

ren, who called it “heartless,”

and former vice president Joe

Biden.

“There is no national securi-

ty justification for further trau-

matizing sick kids at their most

vulnerable,” Biden said on

Twitter. “Like all bullies,

Trump is purposefully target-

ing the little guys — but I

would have thought even he

would understand that kids

with cancer and cystic fibrosis

were off-limits.”

Markey tweeted that ICE of-

ficials told his staff they would

force the affected families to go

through deportation proceed-

ings before deciding their fate,

which he called “dehumaniz-

ing,” while immigration law-

yers called it a grueling and un-

workable option for people re-

ceiving medical treatment.

Legal groups are consider-

ing litigation to try to halt the

policy change.

“The ACLU will fight to pro-

tect these sick children and

their families, and to hold this

administration to account. Ev-

ery option is on the table, and

we’re currently exploring liti-

gation options,” Carol Rose, ex-

ecutive director of the ACLU of

Massachusetts, said in a state-

ment Thursday.

Children’s Hospital officials

said in a statement that they

are deeply concerned about the

policy change.

“We are encouraged by the

visibility that has been generat-

ed by the many advocates who

share our concern,” hospital of-

ficials said. “We are hopeful

that their advocacy on behalf of

children will result in a rever-

sal of this policy.”

Boston Medical Center offi-

cials said in a statement that

they “oppose any actions that

could prevent people from ac-

cessing the health care they

need.”

Dr. Fiona Danaher, a pedia-

trician at Mass. General’s clinic

in Chelsea, said 33 days is not

nearly enough to plan the

transfer of a patient overseas.

And for some children, the

treatment or equipment they

need — such as breathing and

feeding tubes — may not be

available in their home coun-

tries.

“This administration has

been taking many steps to un-

dermine the health of immi-

grant children, and this is just

the latest,” she said. “It’s ap-

palling.”

Priyanka Dayal McCluskey

can be reached at

[email protected]

m. Follow her on Twitter

@priyanka_dayal.

To influence those discus-
sions and to sway the public of-
ficials who ultimately decide a
project’s fate, developers and
their critics are turning to tac-
tics more traditionally associat-
ed with winning popular elec-
tions than persuading a plan-
ning board.
“It really is akin to running
for political office,” said a long-
time public affairs consultant,
Pam McDermott, whose clients
include some of Boston’s most
important developers. “You
think about... the project as [if
it were] a candidate, and use
the same tools that politicians
do.”
That can include scouring
public records to recruit poten-
tial neighborhood allies even
before a project’s plans are for-
mally filed, just as politicians
vie to lock up key endorsements
early on in a campaign.
It also can mean canvassing
door to door to whip up sup-
port — or concerns.
And it can mean taking to
Facebook or Twitter to get busy
residents to attend key public
meetings as a show of strength.
“The 200 people in that
room, that’s who the planning
board sees,” said Patrick Fox,
the chief executive of Consen-
sus Strategies, a Waltham-
based public affairs firm that
works on real estate campaigns
nationwide. “You need to figure
out who your people are and

uDEVELOPMENT
Continued from Page A

get them there.”

Developers, of course, have

long hired PR firms to help

push their projects. Boston has

a cottage industry of communi-

ty relations experts charged

with burnishing builders’ imag-

es. They include former politi-

cians, political staffers, and

journalists.

And seemingly every munic-

ipality has a well-connected

lawyer or two a developer can

hire to help navigate the corri-

dors of City Hall.

What’s changing is the na-

ture of the opposition.

With more cities and towns

posting detailed project docu-

ments online, anyone with a

computer can pore through

traffic and environmental stud-

ies that can provide fodder for

opponents.

Meanwhile, e-mail listservs,

closed Facebook groups, and

the neighborhood social net-

work Nextdoor provide forums

for residents to talk about proj-

ects, away from the prying eyes

of developers’ community rela-

tions teams.

And the more projects they

see, the more familiar everyday

citizens become with the pro-

cess, and with how to influence

it.

“I see a lot of sophistication

on both sides now,” said Sean

Curran, an aide to former gov-

ernor Deval Patrick, whose

firm, Waterville Consulting,

works with several major devel-

opers. “Technology creates a

great advantage for folks who

are opposed to a project to or-

ganize and communicate.”

In some neighborhoods, res-

idents are willing and able to

hire experts of their own to re-

fute the claims developers

make, or to launch their own

PR campaigns. Several promi-

nent real estate PR experts said

they’ve been approached more

frequently by neighborhood

groups.

“I was flattered,” said Lisa

Nickerson, the chief executive

of Nickerson PR, recalling one

such solicitation. “They said,

‘We heard you’re the only per-

son who can actually get stuff

done.’ ”

Nickerson didn’t take the

job. But she did give the neigh-

bors some advice: Sit down

with the developer and talk it

out early in the process, when

plans are easier to change. It’s

the same advice that she and

most other PR pros give to

builders facing restive neigh-

bors: Figure out who has con-

cerns, and talk to them. It

might even make the project

better.

“Every developer is well

served to communicate early

and often,” said Diana Pisciotta,

president of the PR firm Dent-

erlein. “These are going to be

our neighbors.”

Still, sometimes conflict is

inevitable. That’s when the

campaigning revs up for real.

The power station project in

South Boston has been fiercely

debated for nearly two years,

with the developers — local

builder Redgate and the nation-

al investment firm Hilco Global

— adjusting their plans several

times to address concerns

about traffic, parking, and how

much housing, if any, is appro-

priate on the 15-acre site along-

side Conley Terminal, a con-

tainer port.

Most recently, they floated

two ideas about how the project

could be modified: Devote most

of the 1.8 million square feet to

office space, with 750 units of

housing, or include no housing

at all. The plan is back before

the Boston Planning & Develop-

ment Agency for review.

Elected officials have

weighed in. So have labor

unions and advocacy groups.

Residents, at least according to

comment letters filed with the

agency, appear split on the

plans.

But that August public meet-

ing was the first chance in

months residents had to speak

up in person about the project,

and some in the neighborhood

wanted to make sure people

came out. Hence the robocalls

and the leaflets left on car

windshields.

A small neighborhood group

paid for both, according to sev-

eral people at the meeting. The

group’s leader did not respond

to phone and e-mail messages

from the Globe.

The robocalls got the intend-

ed result: The Tynan Elementa-

ry School cafeteria was over-

flowing that night, according to

the blog Caught in Southie. Res-

idents lined up for more than

an hour for a chance to weigh in

— some in support, many

against — with development

agency officials listening the

whole time.

The city has promised to

schedule another meeting, in

September. No word yet on

whether it will be preceded by

another batch of robocalls.

Tim Logan can be reached at

[email protected]. Follow

him on Twitter at

@bytimlogan.

Policy shift to

deport sick children

sparks an outcry

ThreatofEEEnowcriticalinmoreMass.communities

Campaign tactics give opponents of developers a fighting chance

MATTHEW J. LEE/GLOBE STAFF

Developers of the Boston Edison power plant project have adjusted their plans several

times to address concerns about traffic, parking, and housing.

NIC ANTAYA FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Sirlen Costa of Brazil held her ill son, Samuel, after a press conference in Boston this week.