True to its namesake, Encore Boston Harbor provides new access to Everett’s shoreline which was previously untouchable.
Encore Boston Harbor’s HarborWalk allows access to a boating dock, which offers continuous shuttle service to the World Trade Center in South Boston, and Long Wharf downtown, for a small fee. With the new utilization of the water, the Everett Police Department has stepped up to monitor the shore with a state-of-the-art police boat.
Officer Patrick Johnston has taken on the responsibility of manning the boat.
Johnston, who was previously on the board of directors for the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), is pleased to be able to spend more time in Everett’s waterway. Johnston has seen an improvement in the water quality and an increased population of wildlife in the past few years since Encore Boston Harbor stepped in to improve the area.
Along his route, which connects the Malden River and the Mystic River through the Amelia Earhart Dam, he has coined an untouched island as “The Johnston Isles” – and hopes that more people will have the opportunity to appreciate the beauty Everett holds within its water.
Johnston shared with the Independent that while in many ways, the water around Everett has been viewed as an obstacle for getting one place to another, he anticipates that with Encore Boston Harbor introducing new access to it, other docks will pop up allowing for more transportation and recreation along the waterfront.