If you drove or walked along the Arborway last December, you couldn't help but notice the mansion of Dominic Luberto, festooned with half a million Christmas lights.
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue noticed, too. They noticed that Luberto is the same guy who walked away from his wife and three kids in 1985, leaving them in poverty. The DOR is now hitting him up for $123,833.37 in back child support.
Conveniently, that Arborway mansion is owned by his current wife, not by him.
Miss von Schtoop informs us that Dominic Luberto, the Jamaica Plain guy who lights the way for returning spacecraft during the Christmas season, has put the Castle up for sale:
Single Family Property, Area: Jamaica Plain, Approximately 0.7 acre(s), Lot is 30927 sq. ft., Year Built: 1897, Parking space(s): 4, Swimming pool(s), Basement, Dining room, Laundry room, Hardwood floors
All yours for just $2.2 million.
The Castle in more sedate colors:
WBUR reported this morning that City Councilor John Tobin will ask Gov. Patrick to require the guy with the 500,000 lights to hire a police detail.
The station quoted Tobin as saying it would be just terrible if somebody were hit by a fast-moving car on the Jamaicaway/Arborway while stopped to gawk at the brighter-by-the-year Castle. Tobin said he asked Dominic Luberto to hire a detail, but that Luberto refused, saying he's already given the city its largest Christmas display. Because the road is a state parkway, it would be up to Patrick or State Police to force the issue.
Lyss files a report from the Jamaicaway, where she visited Domenic Luberto's brighter than bright Castle and yard tonight.
In which Dominic Luberto discusses his light-related charity effort for Children's Hospital; what he does with his lights after Christmas and the bogus story about him and the fireworks. Oh, yes, and he shows off the 10-foot Star of David he's putting up this year.
You'll probably find this exceedingly hard to believe, but Nancy, Greta and I spent some time tonight with Dominic Luberto, the guy who lights up the Jamaicaway between Halloween and January. No, really: He even showed us around his home, a.k.a. the Castle - he's done an amazing job renovating what had been a decaying 8,500-square-foot stone hulk into a showpiece home you'd expect to see on HGTV or something.
Yesterday, Luberto e-mailed me; he wanted to talk.
So, of course, that means the Mad Lighter of the Jamaicaway is already hard at work on his annual neighborhood-brownout project. After all, he has 500,000 or so lights to install.
Can't somebody do something before the guy who owns the Arborway Castle does some real damage? Read more.
Thanks to Joye, I rushed over to JP as soon as it got dark tonight. Sure enough, the Castle was all lit up for Christmas. On the one hand, cool! Certainly makes the drive down the Jamaicaway more interesting. On the other hand, um, has anybody looked at the calendar yet?
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