An environmental group wants to make Harvard allow public access to its boathouse docks. The university is pushing back. – The Boston Globe
For more than a century, Harvard has enjoyed a valuable perk along the banks of the Charles River: full private access to the waterfront at its two historic boathouses, where rowers can launch boats without interference from the general public.
But a nonprofit environmental group says it s time for that special treatment to end.
The Charles River Watershed Association is urging the state to make Harvard go back to the drawing board on its plans to refurbish the sloped wooden decks at the Newell and Weld boathouses which were built at the turn of the 20th century and are home to the men s and women s crew teams and find a way to let people other than Harvard students and personnel use those sections of riverfront property.
Finally, a problem with a solution! Boston and the CRWA come up with a number and hold Harvard up for that amount. What’s it worth to the old Crimson? A hundred million? A billion? Harvard can afford it!
We used to think the sailboat types at the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club were snoots. Of course, we were there ourselves, the salt of the earth types, learning to sail. So there’s that. The idea of non-Yalies using the facility was unthinkable. But of course, I’m sure there wasn’t anything hinky in how we (i.e., Yale) came by the land, other than rousting out the Natives, who in their turn had rousted out other Natives.