C.J. Ferry v. Boston, City of - Law Department (SPR 20160916)

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth Public Records Division Shawn A Williams Supervisor ofR ecords October 25, 2016 SPR16/916 George T. Bahnan Paralegal Law Department City of Boston 1 City Hall Square, Room 615 Boston, MA 02201 Dear Mr. Bahnan: I have received the petition of C. J. Ferry asking this office to reverse its prior determination and issue an order to the City of Boston (City) for records related to Mr. Ferry's July 25, 2016 request for plans, documents and costs for burying utility lines in the City. See SPR16/616 Determination of the Supervisor of Records (August 24, 2016). In my August determination I found that initially the City had failed to respond within the ten (10) day period, however on August 23, 2016, you provided Mr. Ferry with a response to his request. You asked Mr. Ferry for clarification concerning which particular project his request refers to, as the City may have many similar projects. See 950 C.M.R. 32.05(4) (any person seeking access to a public record or any portion thereof shall provide a reasonable description of the requested record to the custodian so that he or she can identify and locate it promptly). A member of my legal staff attempted to contact you on October 24, 2016, but was unable to connect with you directly. I find that Mr. Ferry did not provide the City with more clarification to assist in a response for a request for public recor s. Accordingly, I decline to reverse my August determination. I advise Mr. Ferry to contac the City to clarify his request. cc: C. J. Ferry One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, Massachusetts 02108 • (617) 727-2832• Fax: (617) 727-5914 sec.state.ma.us/pre • pre@sec.state.ma.us