►
Description
Docket #0193
Order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend a grant of one million dollars ($1,000,000) from the United States Department of the Interior under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 to be administered by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department for purposes of making capital improvements, and permanently dedicating McConnell Park for park and playground purposes, as required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), the grantor’s agent.
A
Good
morning
and
welcome
to
the
Christopher
I&L
a
chamber,
my
name
is
city
councillor
Matt
O'malley,
chair
of
the
Committee
on
environment,
sustainability
in
parks.
We
are
here
today
to
discuss
docket
number
zero,
one,
nine
three
in
order
authorizing
the
city
of
Boston,
to
accept
and
expand
a
grant
of
1
million
dollars
in
the
US
Department
of
the
Interior
under
the
Land
and
Water
Conservation
Fund
Act
of
1965
to
be
administered
by
the
Boston
parks
and
recreations
department.
A
The
purpose
of
this
grant
is
to
make
capital
improvements
and
to
permanently
dedicate
McConnell
park
and
Savin
Hill
for
Park
and
playground
purposes.
This
comprehensive
park
renovation
of
will
total
3
million
dollar
this
in
capital
expenditures.
It
will
include
a
play
lot
fields:
passive
space
parking
utility
improvements,
as
well
as
improved
access.
A
Mcconnell
Park
is
located
off
of
Dorchester
Bay
in
Savin
Hill,
formerly
known
as
Savin
Hill
playground
was
established
in
1899.
It
is
a
well-loved
destination
for
playing
ball.
We
are
joined
today
by
Aldo
Garin,
who
is
the
senior
planner
for
the
Parks
and
Recreation
Department,
as
well
as
parks
and
recreation
department.
Commissioner
ryan
woods,
gentlemen.
Welcome
both
thank
you
for
your
great
work,
we're
also
joined
by
the
host
counselor
district
tree
counselor,
Frank
Baker,
as
well
as
the
district
2
counselor,
counselor,
ed,
Flynn,
counselors,
Baker
or
Flynn.
Do
I.
Have
any
opening
comments.
B
Thank
You
councillor
O'malley,
and
thank
you
to
the
panelists
for
being
here
and
for
your
important
work
on
this
on
this
on
this
renovation,
I
saw
on
McConnell,
McConnell,
Park
and
playground.
There'll
be
a
ball
field
that
will
be
Boston's
first
inclusive
ball
field.
Could
you
give
a
little
bit
of
background
information
on
that?
Well,.
A
C
Gonna,
walk,
okay,
great
nobody.
So
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
this
morning,
so
the
Executive
Office
of
Energy
and
Environmental
Affairs,
where
the
state
manages
this
program
on
behalf
of
the
federal
government.
So
the
this
Land
and
Water
Conservation
Fund
grant
is
for
1
million
dollars.
It's
the
maximum
grant
that
they've
offered
in
that
grant
round
last
year.
So
we're
now
in
the
process
of
filling
out
all
the
grant
paperwork-
and
this
is
part
of
that
process-
is
to
get
the
approval
of
the
council.
So
McConnell
is
a
seven
acre
park.
C
It
has
various
fields
playground
and,
as
the
councilor
noted,
as
a
great
location
on
Dorchester
Bay.
So
on
the
one
hand,
we're
going
to
be
with
this
construction
project,
making
a
better
arrangement
of
the
fields,
so
it's
more
productive,
more
opportunity
for
access
for
for
people
who
want
to
use
the
fields,
but
also
we're
going
to
be
redesigning
this
to
better
accommodate
the
downside
of
being
near
Dorchester
Bay,
which
is
sea
level
rise.
C
That's
anticipated
plus
more
frequent
coastal
storm
storms
due
to
climate,
the
climate
crisis,
so
one
of
the
things
we're
doing
is
we're
changing
the
mix
of
feels
from
immense
ball
field
to
women's
softball
fields
and
an
undersized
soccer
field
in
the
shared
out
fields
to
an
official
Little
League
field,
a
practice
Little
League
and
softball
field
that
is
shared
with
a
multi-use
field.
That's
this.
The
Little
League
field
is
here,
and
then
there
will
also
be
a
new
challenger
feel.
C
This
is
a
first
time
in
in
the
parks
apartment
that
we
have
a
field
dedicated
for
inclusive
play,
meaning
play
not
for
able-bodied
children,
but
also
disabled
as
well.
So
with
this
multi-use
field,
that's
dedicated
purely
for
soccer,
so
that
wind
soccer
is
in
play
there.
Only
one
of
the
fields
rather
than
the
out
fields
of
three
fields
are
going
to
be
available,
so
that
that
makes
these
two
fields
more
usable.
C
So,
as
I
mentioned,
we're
going
to
be
making
the
fields
more
climate
resilience
resilient
part
of
it
as
the
we're
doing
the
artificial
turf
and
at
least
two
of
the
fields
that
way,
there's
less
downtime,
also
with
the
kind
of
landscaping
we're
doing
rain
gardens
in
the
middle
between
the
fields,
etc.
That
will
better
accommodate
the
stormwater
that
comes
in,
etc.
C
We're
gonna
have
interpretive
signage
for
to
explain
all
the
climate
resiliency
measures
new
met,
new
benches
will
be
there,
a
bike.
Rack
will
be
there
and,
of
course,
we're
gonna
be
working
with
the
mr8
foundation.
That's
the
foundation
names
after
Martin
Richard,
who
are
going
to
be
programming,
for
you,
know,
inclusive
play
programs
in
both
of
these
fields.
I
also
wanted
to
point
out
a
pretty
major
redo
here
in
the
parking
area.
C
This
area
is
actually
part
of
the
park,
but
it's
been
sort
of
this
open
area
and
parking
has
been
kind
of
very
scattershot
and
has
made
emergency
access
difficult.
We're
now
organising
this
better
so
that
it's
you
know,
parking
is
more
and
the
roadway
is
definitely
defined
so
that
emergency
vehicles
can
come
in
and
out
easily
we're
also
creating.
You
know
new
playground,
a
new
entry
Plaza,
some
amphitheater
seating
in
the
open
lawn
area
and
in
this
existing
walkway
here
we're
formalizing
it
with
an
alley
of
trees.
C
A
Not
a
betting
man,
Aldo,
but
I
would
venture
a
guess,
you're
in
pretty
good
shape
to
the
full
committee
and
Council's
approval.
I
think
this
is
obviously
exciting
when
defer
to
the
host
counselor,
but
I
wanted
to
just
note
how
much
mayor
Walsh
your
predecessor,
former
commissioner,
now
chief
cook
and
Commissioner
Woods,
and
your
teams
have
really
had
such
a
great
commitment
to
Boston's
parks
and
open
spaces.
It's
been
really
remarkable.
A
The
last
couple
years
just
to
see
the
dedication,
the
thoughtful
approach
to
parks,
the
fact
that
we
are
specifically
using
parks
as
a
way
to
address
sustainability
and
resiliency,
which
is
absolutely
crucial.
We
all
agree
that
parks
are
for
people,
but
parks
are
also
for
this
planet
and,
if
done
right,
as
is
evidenced
in
these
proposals,
we
can
use
it
to
mitigate
stormwater
runoff
tomato
flooding.
So
many
things
grow
our
tree
canopy.
So
this
is
obviously
very
very
exciting
and
you've
answered
every
question.
I
have
the!
A
A
B
Thank
You
counselor
malian
again
thank
you
to
the
panelists
for
being
here
for
your
important
work
on
working
closely
with
residents
working
closely
with
the
mayor's
office
on
building
our
parks
and
recreation
and
open
space.
I
also
want
to
acknowledge
the
excellent
work
of
our
council,
a
baker
as
well
and
working
closely
with
the
mayor's
office
in
the
parks
department
on
this
project.
I
just
wanted
to
comment
on
the
Challenger,
the
field
and
I
think
it's
one
of
the
best
things
I
ever
heard
sitting
in
this
seat.
B
My
nephew
plays
in
a
challenge
of
field
in
the
south
shore.
My
actually
my
parents
coached
the
team,
and
it
brings
so
much
joy
in
happiness
to
children
with
special
needs
that
they're
able
to
play
in
a
baseball
field,
they're
able
to
play
a
little
bit
of
competitive
baseball
and
learn
about
the
game
and
have
fun
with
their.
What
they
appears
so
I
just
want
to
acknowledge.
The
outstanding
compassion
is
the
word.
B
I
would
call
it
to
persons
with
disabilities
making
sure
that
our
parks
are
opened
to
them
as
well
and
I'm
just
so
proud
to
support
this
project,
and
you
know
I
just
want
to
thank
the
mayor's
office.
I
want
to
thank
council,
Baker
and
the
parks
department
for
being
inclusive
and
making
sure
that
there's
space
in
our
parks
for
children
with
with
disabilities,
so
I'm
walking
forward
to
supporting
this
project.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
Thank.
D
Thank
you
guys
for
coming
out.
This
is
this
is
great.
Does
that
does
the
1
million
have
to
be
spent
like
specifically
on
resiliency
pieces
of
this
of
this
project,
Oh
No,
so
the
million
just
helps
us
to
be
able
to
pay
for
the
whole
project?
Oh
yes,
excellent,
but
what
two
fields
are
out
official
turf
that
the
Challenger
and
that
in
the
Little
League
field.
E
E
D
E
Is
raised,
certain
levels
are
raised,
but
they
are
the
addition
of
rain
gardens
and
going
throughout.
We
know
that
we're
gonna
take
on
water
in
certain
parts
of
the
park,
so
strategically
they're,
putting
these
rain
gardens
in
to
try
to
capture
as
much
as
they
can
from
the
stormwater.
That
approaches
hey.
D
E
That
stone
was
put
in
place
with
a
plaque
back
and
I
believe
the
1970s.
It's
been
missing
for
decades.
That
was
dedicated
the
park
to
McConnell
the
United
States
veteran
yeah.
So
it
used
to
be
over
here
in
the
lawn
panel.
It
it
now
be
a
formalized
entry
Plaza,
so
we're
looking,
maybe
an
American
flag,
but
the
entry
Plaza.
So
when
you're
coming
into
the
park,
people
can
actually
get
the
history
and
get
the
story
of
who
McConnell
was
and
behind
this
park.
E
E
It
stays
there,
but
it's
more
cautious
instead
of
people
crossing
through
a
road
they're,
more
driving
through
a
playground,
okay
type
of
area.
So
it's
more
strategic,
so
it's
obviously
a
slower
zone
yeah.
It's
not
it's
separated
from
the
playground
area
completely,
but
it's
more
the
driving
through
the
entry
Plaza
instead
of
just
kids
walking
through
you
know
being
in
danger
of
passing
cars.
That's.
E
E
We've
been
working
with
aged
strong,
purposely
in
all
of
our
parks
to
make
sure
not
only
if
they
have
walking
pathways,
but
a
lot
of
the
guardians
that
a
taken
care
of
park.
Users
are
older
adults
and
making
sure
we
design
parks
with
them
in
mind,
as
well,
so
making
sure
our
benches
have
the
appropriate
armrests
to
help
get
up
and
sit
down,
but
have
walking
paths
and
additional
things
for
older
adults
to
use
while
they're
at
the
park.
Thank
you.
A
A
E
C
A
E
A
Have
no
further
questions,
I,
don't
know
general.
If
you
had
any
other
statement.
Sir
I
mean
this.
This
is
obviously
a
no-brainer.
It's
exciting
I
look
forward
to
visiting
my
good
colleague
and
friends
district
next
summer
and
maybe
we'll
take
a
little
walk
on
some
of
those
great
walking
paths.
So
it's
great
news
I
will
be
urging
mica.
We
will
be
doing
a
affirmative
vote
on
this
tomorrow
and
appreciate
you
guys
for
your
great
work
I.
A
We
obviously
I
neglected
to
mention
at
the
beginning
of
this
hearing
that
it's
being
streamed
in
broadcast
live.
We
also
have
an
opportunity
for
public
testimony.
I,
don't
believe
we
have
any
public
testimony
any
letters
perfect.
So,
having
said
that,
they
hear.
Is
council
committees
hearing
on
dock
at
zero,
one
nine
three
is
hereby
adjourned.
Thank
you.