Victorian gets beautiful restoration

This completely renovated mansard Victorian sits on a side street in West Somerville near Tufts University.

The newly gut-renovated 1910-built single family at 30 Conwell Ave., on the market for $1,499,000, has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms, 3,183 square feet of living space and a detached three-car garage.

The home's restored gray clapboard exterior has white trim, a new asphalt-shingled mansard roof and bumpout bay windows on the front and sides.

A covered front entryway leads into a foyer with new oak floors and a contemporary overhead light. To the right sits a library/study with restored oak flooring, 10A-foot coffered ceilings and four windows, three in a bay arrangement. A full wall has built-in bookshelves and cabinets.

To the left of the foyer is the home's open living/dining area with new red oak floors and recessed lighting. The living space has four windows, with a three-part bay window and 10A-foot coffered ceilings. The dining area has a built-in granite-topped peninsula that seats six.

The adjacent kitchen has 14 white cabinets, with granite-topped counters, a herringbone-patterned white tile backsplash and an island. Jenn-Air stainless-steel appliances include a six-burner gas stove with a fluted hood, a large side-by-side refrigerator and a dishwasher. A corner breakfast nook gets light from a three-part bay window.

Behind the kitchen is a bathroom with a ceramic-tile walk-in shower and granite-topped vanity, and a good-sized bedroom with a bump-out bay window and restored oak floors.

There's also a rear sunroom, with a door out to a decent-sized grass backyard. A three-car garage sits at the end of a long driveway.

Back inside, a red oak staircase leads to three bedrooms on the second floor, off a hallway with a closet holding a washer/dryer hookup. There's also a second-floor sunroom.

The master suite has a good-sized bedroom featuring new red oak floors and a gas fireplace. There are three walk-in closets with built-in wardrobes. The en-suite bathroom has ceramic tile floors and a ceramic tile wall with glass-mosaic inlay above a tub. There's also a ceramic-tiled walk-in shower and a linen closet. A large granite-topped vanity has two sinks.

Two other bedrooms on this floor have restored oak floors and two windows each. They are served by a second full bathroom with small black-and-white tile floors. White subway tile with glass-mosaic inlays surrounds a tub/shower, and there's also a granite-topped vanity.

Half of the home's lower level has been finished as a carpeted family room, with a granite-topped wet bar with room for a mini-fridge. Adjacent sits a full bathroom with small-tile ceramic floor, a one-piece Fiberglas shower and a granite-topped vanity.

The other half of the basement is unfinished with lots of storage space, and it also houses the home's water heater and new gas-fired central heating and cooling system.

Home Showcase

• Address: 30 Conwell Ave., Somerville
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: Four full
• List price: $1,499,000
• Square feet: 3,183
• Price per square foot: $471
• Annual taxes: $8,620
• Location: A mile to retail, restaurants and Red Line T stop in Davis Square; half a mile to Teele Square.
• Built in: 1910; gut renovated in 2014-15
• Broker: Stephen bremis of bremis Realty at 617-828-1070

Pros:

• Master bedroom suite with built-in gas fireplace, three walk-in closets
• Stylish granite kitchen with Jenn-Air appliances, island, breakfast nook
• Library/study with full wall built-in, coffered ceilings
• New and restored red oak floors throughout

Cons:

• It's a mile walk to Davis Square

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2015 Lincoln Navigator navigates blizzards with style

As the Blizzard of 2015 approached New England, I knew I would be called upon to photograph the impending snowstorm. I would have accepted any four-wheel-drive vehicle, but when a 2015 Lincoln Navigator 4x4 showed up in our lot, I thought why ride in coach when you can go first class.

My gray metallic tester with a split-wing chrome grille had 22-inch polished aluminum wheels that provided plenty of ground clearance and some visibility over the snowbanks. Doors automatically unlocked thanks to a passive entry system that senses when the key fob is in range of the vehicle. Power running boards dropped down automatically when the doors opened to provide a convenient step for climbing into the SUV. A push-button starter let me keep the key fob in my pocket under all the layers of clothing I had on for the storm.

As expected, the Navigator's interior was upscale. Dark wood trim on the center console, the top half of the steering wheel and the doors contrasted nicely with the plush light brown leather seats. As I cruised the city looking for snow photos with my window down, the Lincoln's climate control system kept the interior warm and comfy. Snow blown in by the intensifying blizzard quickly melted off the heated, 10-way power adjustable front seats. The third row seats folded flat with the push of a button to create a cavernous rear cargo area.

The Navigator's infotainment system had a 4.2-inch display in the instrument panel and an intuitive, 8-inch touch screen on the center stack. I appreciated the traditional knob controls below the touch screen and cruise, phone, and volume controls were integrated into the steering wheel.

The 5.4-liter V8 that has powered the Navigator for years has been replaced with a twin turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine. Lincoln reports that the new engine cranks out 380 horsepower and 430 pound-foot of torque with an undiminished towing capacity. I found the large SUV had ample power off the line and highway passing was effortless. A six-speed automatic transmission with a manual override option allowed me to take control of the gear shifting, which I found useful when descending steep and narrow, snow-covered streets.

The Navigator stomped through the accumulating snow as I ventured into Beacon Hill to look for people trying to dig out along the unplowed streets. The big SUV barely squeezed through the snow-clogged one-way streets, but never lost traction on the steep, frozen hills. A rear-view camera saved the day when I had to back down a side street blocked by snow removal crews.

Once the storm cleared, I switched the Navigator back into two-wheel drive and hit the highway. The Lincoln was quiet on the open road and handled like a much smaller vehicle, thanks in part to electronic power-assisted steering, which also made it easier to park. Road imperfections produced an occasional front end dive, which served as a reminder of the big SUV's size and weight.

The 2015 Lincoln Navigator might be the ultimate full-size 4x4 for New England weather. The Navigator has a base price of $61,920, which is considerably less than the Cadillac Escalade that starts at just under $73,000. My tester topped out at $73,895.

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High-tech council creates data dashboard to keep state on right road

A top tech industry group unveiled a new tool to compare Massachusetts to other states yesterday as Gov. Charlie Baker said the state needs to solidify its position as a high tech leader by working harder to be more competitive and lowering the cost to do business.

"The goal here is to strengthen the areas we have a national lead in, and rectify or improve the areas we can now see a disadvantage," said Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. "This is actually going to be very helpful for not only keeping track of what our peer states are doing, but informing our decisions."

The Massachusetts' Technology, Talent and Economic Reporting System is a dashboard that can compare states by a number of metrics, including hiring difficulty for employers and workforce information. The information is focused on understanding the workforce and potential talent in the state.

"It's talent that's going to drive where we go, and it's going to determine which countries, which states, which towns, prosper and which don't," said Gary Beach who presented MATTERS at the council's annual meeting.

Baker, who gave the keynote address at the meeting, said Massachusetts cannot be complacent.

"It's pretty clear to us that we're going to have to work a lot harder to be competitive," he said. "We need to do a better job of lowering our cost of pretty much everything."

The event was a homecoming of sorts for Baker, who began his career at Mass High Tech. Organizers displayed a 30-year-old picture of a young Baker in front of a long-obsolete computer before the governor gave his address.

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Solons back Charlie Baker Olympics veto

Ninety lawmakers have signed on to a bill that would create a commission to ensure transparency in Boston's bid to host the 2024 summer Olympics and would give the governor the final say if the games require state money.

State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the North End Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the intent is to "create more accountability" for Boston 2024, the nonprofit leading the charge to bring the Olympics to the Hub, by, among other things, listing all public and private money spent on the games in an "Open Checkbook" registry on the Internet.

"Because we're talking about commonwealth tax money that is going to potentially play a large part in the process, we wanted to give the state's stakeholders some ability to have a seat at the table going forward," Michlewitz said. "That includes the governor having the ability to withdraw public funds if he feels that this is not living up to the standards."

Billy Pitman, a spokesman for Gov. Charlie Baker, said Baker "believes public input as well as transparency is vital to the bid process. He will review any legislation addressing those priorities should it reach his desk."

The bill would also require Boston 2024 to submit its bid documents to a 7-member appointed commission before the package is submitted to the International Olympic Committee.

Boston 2024 CEO Rich Davey said the organization is reviewing the bill "and supports the Legislature's goals of additional accountability and transparency."

Earlier this month, Mayor Martin J. Walsh called the bill redundant. But South End state Rep. Byron Rushing, who's still in the "middle" on whether Boston should host the 2024 games, said he thinks the mayor eventually will support the proposal due to growing calls for more transparency. Rushing pointed to Walsh's decision to renegotiate an agreement to strike a provision barring city employees from publicly criticizing the Olympic bid, weeks after city officials caught heat for signing it in the first place.

"The mayor looks forward to reviewing all legislation involving the Olympics to see what will work best for Boston and the commonwealth," Bonnie McGilpin, a spokeswoman for Walsh, said. "Mayor Walsh is committed to running an open and transparent process."

Rushing said he would like to have the bill, or a version of it, passed by June. He said he is hopeful the Legislature can do it, given the unusually large number of lawmakers backing it.

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Bay State sued over
 campaign finance law

A conservative Arizona think-tank and two Bay State businesses filed suit yesterday to change a state campaign finance law that allows unions to contribute up to $15,000, but blocks businesses from doing the same.

"I don't have the same voice, the same horse in the race, as my friends in the unions," said Michael Kane, who owns 126 Self Storage in Ashland and is a director of the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. "It's really about fairness and equity. We're not asking for anything more."

The Arizona-based Goldwater Institute filed suit in Suffolk Superior Court on behalf of 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto in Pepperell.

"There is no legitimate justification for allowing unions to contribute thousands of dollars to candidates, parties and political committees, while completely banning any contributions from businesses," the lawsuit says. "This lopsided ban on political contributions violates Plaintiffs' rights of equal protection, free speech, and free association protected by the Massachusetts and United States constitutions."

State law allows certain groups that do not have any corporate money, including unions, to donate up to $15,000 to candidates, but corporations are banned from making any campaign contributions.

Jason Tait, a spokesman for the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, declined to comment on pending litigation.

Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, said businesses already have enough power and influence.

"It's shocking that a right-wing funded group would want to come up in Massachusetts and challenge or try to make an argument that corporations don't have enough political juice," Tolman said. "It's absolutely outrageous."

Massachusetts is one of seven states that allow union donations, but bar business contributions, Goldwater attorney James Manley said.

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Eatery hit by marathon bomb to close doors

Forum, the Boylston Street bar and restaurant at ground zero of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, will close March 1 due to a large rent increase, according to owner Boston Nightlife Ventures.

"Unfortunately, the current real estate climate on Boylston Street has motivated Forum's landlord to raise rent this year by nearly three times our current rate," president Euz Azevedo said in a statement yesterday. "This rent increase makes it financially impossible for Boston Nightlife Ventures to operate and sustain a business at a location that means so much to us and to our city."

The second bomb exploded outside of Forum on April 15, 2013, while it was hosting a Joe Andruzzi Foundation fundraiser. The former New England Patriot was on-site and sprang into action along with staff and other party-goers to aid victims injured by the blast.

The restaurant, which suffered significant damage, reopened that August after reconstruction.

"With insurance claims still backed up by bureaucracy, our road to financial recovery was knowingly long," Azevedo said. "Boston Nightlife Ventures would like to offer our sincere gratitude to Forum's incredible staff and to each and every one of our patrons, from our regulars to those who came in after the marathon to show their support. We cried together, we smiled together — none of these times will be forgotten."

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The Ticker

Fed: Student loan 
deliquencies soar

Student loans had a higher delinquency rate than credit cards, auto loans and home mortgages over the past three years, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported recently.

Outstanding student loans in the country have reached $1.16 trillion, an increase of $77 billion from a year ago. About 11.3 percent were in default — more than 90 days delinquent — in the last quarter of 2014, compared with 11.1 percent in the previous quarter.

By comparison, 3.5 percent of car loans were past due, as were just 3.1 percent of mortgage loans.

"Although we've seen an overall improvement in delinquency rates since the Great Recession, the increasing trend in student loan balances and delinquencies is concerning," Donghoon Lee, research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, said in a statement.

But even as borrowers struggle to make payments, more continue to jump into the loan pool to help finance their schooling. Moreover, the age of student-loan borrowers is creeping upward. More than a third are older than 40, according to the New York Fed's Liberty Street Economics blog.

Vermont defends Gruber contract

A top aide to Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin is defending the administration's handling of a contract with Massachusetts Institute of Technology health economist Jonathan Gruber, after criticisms were lodged by the state auditor.

Administration Secretary Justin Johnson made public his reply to Vermont Auditor Doug Hoffer, in which Johnson says officials in the state office of health care reform kept a close eye on work done by Gruber.

Hoffer says the evidence suggests that Gruber overstated the hours worked by a $100-per-hour research assistant, and that top state health care officials ignored the obvious signs that something was amiss.

The state rewrote its contract with Gruber after he generated national headlines when videos were released of him talking about the "stupidity of the American voter."

Today

 Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for December and the fourth quarter.

 The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for February.

TOMORROW

 Commerce Department releases new home sales for January.

THE SHUFFLE

CBRE Group Inc. announced that Todd Trehubenko has joined CBRE Capital Markets' debt & structured finance team as senior vice president. Based in Boston, he will originate multifamily loans with a particular focus on FHA-insured debt. Trehubenko previously worked at Walker & Dunlop, and also served as CEO of Recap Real Estate Advisors in Boston.

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Boston.com hires two editors

Boston Globe affiliate website Boston.com yesterday announced the hiring of two new editors to "strengthen a website beset by controversy."

Editor Tim Molloy and Deputy Editor Kaitlyn Johnston will begin March 16.

"Bringing in two great, experienced journalists with sound judgment and strong experience can only improve our process for telling great stories," Corey Gottlieb, Boston.com's general manager, told the Herald. Molloy was the digital editor for the PBS news magazine "Frontline." Johnston was digital editor at Boston magazine.

Boston.com was stung when a former deputy editor hawked T-shirts poking fun of a Harvard professor embroiled in a $4 flap with a Chinese restaurant owner — a story she reported on — and posted an article accusing the professor of sending a racist email. Another editor was fired for making light of death threats to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner.

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Plugged-in blower is no ordinary Joe

Snow Joe SJ623E Ultra Electric Snow Thrower (SnowJoe.com, $249.99)

This review was done under duress, following the untimely demise of a lesser snowblower that was no match for the unprecedented snow accumulations in my Charlestown patio and driveway.

I had this electric snowblower overnighted in a panic last week.

With an 18-inch clearing width, 20-watt halogen light, 15 amp motor and strong metal blades, this little guy arrived just in time for yet more snow.

The good: Unlike a battery-powered snowblower that might last 45 minutes, this machine plugs into an outlet.

With less maintenance than gas-powered blowers require, the Snow Joe is light, powerful, and blows snow more than a hundred feet away.

The bad: The power cord has to be purchased separately.

The bottom line: Need to clear a foot or more of snow in a pinch? Look no further than this quality device from Snow Joe.

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Booting Up: Laptop security hole puts buyers at risk, damages trust in company

When the government issues a warning about someone else's potential electronic spying, you're bound to feel as if we're teetering on the edge of a 1984 dystopia.

But that's exactly what happened on Friday, when the Department of Homeland Security warned that Lenovo — a highly regarded manufacturer of computers — had "spyware" 
preinstalled on consumer laptops that could expose secure communications to hackers.

Companies pay big bucks to pre-load their insidious programs on computers. In this case, the controversial software came from a Silicon Valley startup called Superfish, which has pioneered visual recognition technology. Its software captures images of products that users view online and then shows them ads for similar products. Security experts say Superfish also installs its own fake certification on computers to trick Internet browsers into giving it access to secure connections.

Even worse, the Superfish software on certain Lenovo laptops also allows hackers access to those connections. The software has security holes that enable hackers to spoof secure websites and steal critical data. So when users visit secured or encrypted websites such as banks and credit card companies, their information can be easily stolen, according to security experts and the government.

"This means websites, such as banking and email, can be spoofed without a warning from the browser," wrote the cybersecurity division of Homeland Security in a statement, calling the Superfish program a "critical vulnerability" that could 
allow a remote attacker "to read all encrypted web browser traffic, successfully impersonate (spoof) any website, or perform other attacks on the affected system."

For its part, Superfish has said the vulnerability was "introduced unintentionally by a third party." Lenovo has apologized to customers and released a software tool on Friday allowing customers to remove the Superfish code from their laptops.

Both Superfish and Lenovo are in damage-control mode. And neither has adequately taken responsibility for the spyware scandal. The truth is there's no reason any non-critical software should be bundled with laptops to begin with. At best, this scandal exposes a chilling lack of oversight on what gets installed on machines. At worst, it exposes something nefarious. Either way, Lenovo has sold out its customers.

This controversy couldn't come at a worse time for Lenovo as the company faces growing competition from Microsoft's Surface line of PCs. Those computers, by the way, do not come with adware whatsoever.

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Montreal knows where to stick snow

After roughly 8 feet of snow in three weeks, mammoth snowbanks everywhere and a problem-plagued public transit system, many Bostonians are thinking there's got to be a better way to deal with snow.

In Montreal, which has been pounded by about 8 feet of snow this winter, once precipitation starts, crews go to work, spreading salt on sidewalks and streets. Once the snow reaches an inch, the city deploys 1,000 pieces of equipment manned by as many workers to begin clearing both sidewalks and streets.

"Our citizens don't have to shovel sidewalks," in contrast to Boston, Jacques Lacavallee, a city spokesman, said.

By the time the snow reaches 6 inches, Montreal deploys 2,200 pieces of equipment and 3,000 workers.

"It's literally an army that takes over the city," Lacavallee said. "This is part of our daily life, unlike you guys, who have been caught by surprise."

Small plows tackle the sidewalks, while two trucks working side by side clear the roads. One is essentially a huge blower that eats up the snow and then spits it out through a tube on top into an adjacent dump truck.

The trucks carts the snow away to one of 12 city-owned lots, or to one of 16 chutes connected to a water-
treatment unit, where salt, dirt and other impurities are removed.

The end result? Fresh water.

Unlike Boston's 118-year-old subway system — America's oldest — Montreal's is only 49 years old and, as far as Lacavallee can remember, has shut down only once — in 1972.

Bonnie McGilpin, a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, said the mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics has reached out to companies and professors from local universities, searching for innovative ways to deal with the record snow.

"One thing to keep in mind about Montreal," McGilpin said, is that its snow removal budget is $153 million, or 3.2 percent of its total budget, whereas Boston's is $18.5 million, or 0.7 percent of total spending.

Boston's streets also are not wide enough to accommodate the kind of large snowblowers and dump trucks that make their way, side by side, down Montreal's roads, she said.

Boston's Public Works Department uses more than 600 pieces of equipment during the height of storms to clear the streets. The snow is then brought to as many as 10 snow farms throughout the city, McGilpin said.

Since the first winter storm at the end of January, McGilpin said, the department has removed nearly 22,000 truckloads of snow, plowed 287,743 miles of roadway, put down more than 76,152 tons of salt and plowed for 180,314 hours.

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Getting homes shown this winter ‘daunting’

More than 8 feet of snow has put a damper on a Boston-area real estate market already constrained by limited inventory — creating logistical issues for home-sellers, buyers and real estate agents — but opportunity awaits for those undaunted by the weather.

"It's really light these past four or five weeks because people won't put their house on the market," said broker Glenna M. Gelineau, owner of Gelineau & Associates RE in Waltham. "Not to mention people don't want to come out in this weather."

Streets are hard to navigate, snow mounds are so high that for sale signs are buried, and buyers can't identify homes that are on the market.

"It's just daunting," Gelineau said. "It's dangerous. There's no parking. People have ice dams. They don't want snow trucked through their house. They have their own problems. It's just one whole layer to life that, unless people are absolutely under the gun, they'll say, 'I'll (list) it when the snow dissipates.'"

Home inspections can't be completed because homes and their foundations are covered in snow.

"(An) issue right now being presented by the ice dams is potential damage being done to a listing and the fact that either renovations or other temporary measures have to be taken before the property can be shown," said John Dul-
czewski, executive director of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

There also are liability issues for homeowners if buyers slip or fall on their property, said Michael Carucci, president of Group Boston Real Estate.

"Then, of course, we have the issue of no school and a bunch of kids at home," he said. "We typically don't like to show property when the owner is actually home. Where are they going to go in this weather — outside for three hours?"

Carucci has in excess of $10 million in inventory that won't hit the market until spring because of the weather. But there is a bright side, he said.

"My view is anybody out there in weather like this is seriously qualified," he said. "I don't think you're going to have tire-kickers out there."

And inventory is so light — a pre-existing issue exacerbated by the snow — that people are jumping at available opportunities.

Linda Burnett, a Realtor at Keller Williams Realty Boston-Metro, listed a four-bedroom West Roxbury colonial for $699,000 on Feb. 9, in the midst of another snowstorm, and had it under agreement the next Monday.

With more snow in the forecast, she shortened the normal open house schedule to that Saturday for 2.5 hours and asked real estate agents to show up in one car with their clients because of parking constraints. She brought in "staging" furniture for the house in between storms, along with shoe covers and extra boot trays.

"We had over 30 parties visiting the open house," Burnett said. "That's like an open house on a perfect day in June. If anybody is considering putting their house on the market during this horrible weather, I recommend doing that because there's no inventory. People who are motivated will really do well."

Eight offers were submitted for the West Roxbury home, and it sold for significantly more than the asking price, Burnett said.

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