Boston City Council, MA October 2021, 18 Oct 2021

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From YouTube: Committee on Environment, Resiliency & Parks on October 18, 2021

Description

Docket #1013 - Message and order authorizing the City of Boston to accept and expend the amount of Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000.00) in the form of a Land Water Conservation Fund grant awarded by the National Park Service, passed through the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services, to be administered by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. The grant will be used for improvements at Malcolm X Park that will make paths, entrances, and play areas compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act

A

Airing of the environment, sustainability and parks meeting, I'm the president pro-tempore of the council, as well as chair of this committee. This hearing is being recorded. It's being live streamed at boston.gov city council dash tv as well as broadcast on xfinity channel 8, rcn channel 82 and fios channel 964.

A

today, we'll be discussing docket 1013 regarding a 750, 000 federal land and water conservation fund grant for the malcolm x park, formerly known as washington park and roxbury. This funding will supplement the 6.65 million dollars. The city is investing in this large popular and historic park. Deep in the heart of roxbury. This funding, which has been awarded by the national park service and administered by the massachusetts executive office of energy and environmental affairs, will target increasing the availability of recreational opportunities at this beloved park.

A

Malcolm x park is located one house lot away from the landmark home of malcolm x's sister, where he briefly lived and frequently visited delighted to have uh aldo guerin, who is the senior planner for parks and recreation, as well as lauren bryant, who will be answering our q a she is the project manager for this as well. We are also joined by city councilor, ed flynn, uh from district two and councillor flynn. I don't know if you had any opening statements or opening remarks before you get into it.

B

uh Thank you, council o'malley. I have no opening statements other than to say um thank you to the dedicated team from parks that are making significant improvements. uh It's a wonderful park and people love the puck. So I just want to say thank you.

A

Well said here here: um well: if we we may have some more counselors join us. I will note that uh counselor uh braden uh has submitted a letter which I will briefly read. It's just two sentences long dear chair o'malley. I regret that I will not be able to be in attendance at today's committee on environment, resiliency and parks hearing on docket 1013 regarding a grant to be used for ada accessibility improvements at malcolm x park. I look forward to reviewing the committee report. I ask that you please submit this letter into the committee record.

A

It is hereby submitted. Thank you. Councillor braden and again we may have more counselors join us, um but we will get started. So, although the floor is yours, if you had any presentation, please feel free to give it and I'm sure our counselor flynn and I may have some questions. So thank you for uh joining us.

C

Great uh thank you, mr chair and um uh councillor flynn. I wanted to uh give a little brief presentation. Let's see, do I have yes, I have screen sharing, so let me get to the.

C

Material here, so I have six slides in this deck. This first slide here uh well before I uh launch into this. I just want to say that um this grant is for 750 000 for a project that uh overall uh will uh cost over uh 4.5 million dollars. So uh you know it all. You know it's uh not bearing the biggest share, but it certainly is contributes to helping us. uh You know make this a more complete and full uh renewal of the park so.

C

We wanted to go over this existing conditions and you know talk about not only the uh what are deemed as uh whatever deficiencies, but also uh the opportunities and as uh counselor flynn mentioned, it's a really great park. It's you know it was called washington park.

C

uh Originally, I think pretty much most of the vegetated section you see in the upper kind of two-thirds that was more or less the original washington park, uh the lower third, where you see most of the you know the courts in the play area that was added um in the 20th century uh through uh the urban renewal project. uh You know under uh the bra ages, as well as the uh field, that's in the upper left corner.

C

um So uh what we you know, as I mentioned this original park- has beautiful views not only uh out to various parts of the city uh like downtown, uh but also within the park. uh Besides the vegetation itself, uh the outcroppings of uh roxbury pudding stone are very attractive uh and, as most bostonians know, roxbury pudding stone is uh unique uh to this area. In other words, nowhere else on earth will you find roxbury pudding stone except the boston metropolitan area?

C

um The uh as I mentioned, the mature you know, uh tree canopy is a definitely an asset, particularly given um heat island concerns with climate change, and um but uh one thing that uh wanted to start to mention is how, uh thanks to the eda law, you know all of our projects now have to meet uh ada requirements and uh pretty much except for one entrance um and that's near the children's play area. All the other entrances are not ada accessible.

C

uh The features in general, the courts especially are not ada accessible and a lot of the paths are not accessible. So the paths that you see in orange, they're not accessible and the arrows that you see at entrances that are just outlines. Those are also not accessible as well. So there's a lot of ada um issues with this park and it doesn't just affect people in wheelchairs, and you know people. You know mothers with strollers uh people with um uh you know the uh all sorts of uh people with uh mobility.

C

Disabilities uh have issues so um and yet, at the same time, um because it's an older park, uh we wanna keep as much as possible the fabric of it. And so uh you know, thanks to uh creative designers and uh our project managers like lauren, um we're able to figure out ways to maintain the original fabric and yet also create.

C

You know accessible ways of you know accessing the features. Let me give you some um hold on pictures of what uh conditions currently look like here.

C

um You'll see, you know uh on the upper left there, those those are you know again, not accessible because of the steepness, uh which is you know, in a sense partly necessitated by the the topography.

C

uh We'll also see there are these concrete swales that are not very attractive, and they also, you know, are features that are no longer functioning well, particularly when we want to try to retain stormwater within our parks, rather than sending it to the storm sewer system. uh Doing that you know means more burdens downstream.

C

uh When we have flooding issues, you know throughout the city, thanks to climate change. uh Other you know features uh you see the railing here, that's uh you know, obviously, in poor condition, uh bollards that are not very attractive. Obviously, uh pavement that needs to be repaired.

C

The uh the walls, however, the stone walls, uh you know very attractive uh feature there. Almost all of them are in very good shape, but uh also oftentimes, uh accompanied by concrete um walls that are, you know, not don't fit in with the uh naturalistic character of the park. uh I have another set of photos here um same thing. um Maybe uh I don't know lauren. Can you explain this?

C

What picture in the middle here that, uh where there's a a barrel trash barrel and then this uh at a grade above it an opening, and uh it just looks like a disaster waiting to happen, I wha.

D

It is yeah, I'm happy to explain that one, um like aldo said, the grading and the ada accessibility of the existing park is really challenging here. um It may not seem like it, even though it looks really hilly. There's a 90-foot grade change over the entire park from high point to low point, so you run into a lot of issues like this area, which is looking um from standing in the basketball court looking up towards the roadway, and that is a drop off a just there's no railing that goes across.

D

There's a drop off that goes down to the court, and one of the things that we'll be doing is that each of the courts will be accessible not only from the park side, but also the roadway side and the new design um so aldo. That's what that is is the great change coming from the road drop off into the basketball courts as the current condition.

C

Right right- and um you know, the lower photos show the uh playground area and, as you can see, a lot of concrete uh and uh uh you know the use of um wood chips or wood fiber, uh you know nowadays, we I think, on all our uh new play playgrounds we put in um safety, surfacing the rubberized safety surfacing throughout the entire park, so we're going to be improving this area, making it more naturalistic and also fully not only fully ada accessible, but in fact, more going beyond that to be inclusive as well.

C

This is the my current plan, meaning the plan that we are hoping to. You know that we will be constructing. uh You can see the yellow dotted lines are all ada accessible pathways. Some of them will not. Some of the pathways will be. You know existing pathways that aren't ada accessible, uh but otherwise every major feature the uh courts uh will be accessible uh not only from the street. There are these.

C

You know short little paths that come from the uh sidewalk on martin luther king boulevard to the courts, they'll be um accessible from there as well as within the park.

C

The children's play area will be accessible as well, and um you know we're going to be installing a new amphitheater near the school building. Nearby that'll be usable for class outdoor classrooms, as well as uh for any kind of um special event in the park.

D

Elder if I could just jump in really quickly on those few paths that are not ada accessible, I just want to note that, based on ada regulations, there's a percentage of pathways and entrances that are required within a facility to be ada accessible and even with those few that we weren't able to make ada accessible. We are far far exceeding the percentages that are required and the only way that those ones could be made ada accessible would be to remove that historic pudding, stone and the historic um walls that are surrounding them.

D

um But I just wanted to make sure to point out that, even with those few that we weren't able to, we are far exceeding the requirements of ada.

C

Great great uh and uh just one more thing: uh I uh there are these uh gathering areas, you'll see just above the uh one of the tennis courts, um where they're going to be picnic, areas, etc. These gathering areas, uh you know, are new um and uh they'll, be you know much more functional than what was there before, which was a kind of uh uh what's the word you used, uh lauren.

D

It's almost like a quad, but it was just pathways that went down a really steep slope. So it was steep enough that you couldn't even really put a functional bench in that space.

C

Right, I think yeah the it had that x uh configuration very much like uh brophy park in east austin. uh uh My recollection of brophy park is that it's also on a steep slope too here we're making this now a bit more functional and more accessible as well.

C

Let's see next next slide, so this is this slide, and the next slide will be show the uh the new plans. Accessibility, you can see. The red lines mean that it's not paths are not accessible. So if you're trying to get to the basketball courts, you can't get there, the uh um you know the the sidewalk.

C

uh You know, and uh really you can't get there from here. Even the little bit of blue you see here, uh is you can't get there by a an accessible path to that area? Same thing with the kenneth courts? The only recreational feature you can access is the you know playground itself.

C

Otherwise all these entrances are not accessible and and basically the park is, uh you know, limited uh accessibility. As a result.

C

Now then, in the proposed accessibility, um the we've basically gone from a majority of paths inaccessible to now a majority of paths that are accessible uh while at the same time retaining a lot of the uh historic fabric. As lauren was mentioning, uh the basketball courts are now accessible. The tennis courts are uh the playground uh gathering areas and that are new at gathering areas on either end of the athletic field area. Those are going to be accessible as well.

C

The entrances are accessible and lauren, as I understand that that that uh entrance in the middle between the two endpoints on dale street, that's also going to be accessible too correct.

D

It's a set of stairs, but the stairs and the handrails will meet ada compliance for stairways.

D

The other two that are along the higgins and louis school aren't marked as being accessible into the park and the amphitheater and those will also be accessible coming into the from the school into the park.

C

Okay, great great um now we're going to switch to a different. Can, let's see okay, so let me I think I have to ask for a different screen. Okay,.

D

C

So this is uh basically uh some text going over a certain amount of what I've already described. How the majority of the paths now will be ada accessible entrances will be accessible, the children's play lot will be inclusive and uh well. One thing that you know is really amazing to me: is that, because of the topography, uh you know they're able to make for wheelchair access, not only on the lower levels of the prey structure, but also the upper levels as well. So that's that's pretty impressive.

C

So now uh a child in a wheelchair can, you know, be higher in those higher up levels of the play area as well, which I know you know, kids usually enjoy being at that that level as well um again, basketball and tennis will be uh you know, accessible entrances, um concrete squares will be removed.

C

The uh storm water will be handled in two ways. One uh under the uh you know the big sports field, there's going to be an infiltration system and it's going to be sourced both by the field and the park uphill of a field for the park, part of the park downhill on the field, vegetated swales will connect to mantles and catch basins that will infiltrate into the soil in in the park itself.

C

Regarding uh trees. Here, the uh we're gonna have a net gain of 41 trees. 85 are going to be added. 44, however, are going to be removed. All have been approved by the city's tree warden. There are obvi they're, either invasive species or they're dead and dying and impose you know hazards because of the dead wood.

C

One healthy tree is being removed for one of the ada, accessible paths, and so uh overall there'll be a net positive in terms of uh adding trees and existing trees will be pruned for tree health and longevity, and that's not an afterthought to keep you know these existing trees. Some of them, you know pretty pretty good uh sized trees, uh keeping that canopy as healthy as possible.

C

You know is a you know: a strategy for uh cooling and carbon sequestration as well. Landscape wise. As I mentioned, all the existing stonewalls will remain.

C

Most of the existing pads are going to remain as well, but some are going to be realigned for ada accessibility, putting stone, ock proppings will remain with interpretive signage and invasive vegetation is going to be cleared out for safety's sake and landscape improvement. So basically it's going to be a more what's called a park-like landscape. Where you see you know the tree canopy and you see lawn, but the what's called the understory layer is not going to be available because of safety concerns, public safety, primarily for shade and heat mitigation.

C

uh We have various measures. The field is going to have a shaded dugout, um the main basketball court will have a shaded bench. Picnic tables will be shaded, uh we're gonna, add five more drinking fountains. uh These, I think, are the um the the water uh bottle. Fillers, um that's right, and then uh water play uh you know is gonna. Have safety surfacing as well and uh provide a you know a critical cooling element? So um that's that's about all I have at this point.

C

um Is there you know we can open up to q a.

A

Well, thank you very much, uh although that was a very uh thorough uh uh overview and a very exciting overview with that, I'm I'm I'm feeling wistful. I remember when I did the hearing order for uh installing water filling stations in our parks and playgrounds. It seemed as it was such a new idea, and now it's obviously part of all the specs and it's great to see five of them included uh here um and and lauren. Similarly, thank you for your leadership.

A

I mean this is. This is absolutely exciting. This is a home run all around. um I know that park well, my my mother and sister both taught at the higginson lewis school. I know it was well used by the students so and- and I know that there have been- and I'm sure are now- students who use wheelchairs who attend that school so to be able to make a more inclusive space for kids to play is kids of all ages is just tremendous, so um you know I'm so glad you're keeping the stone walls.

A

I think they're so important and beautiful, but I'm also glad that you're, adding more of that porous rubber surface that you're, making it obviously more accessible that you're planting new trees. This is clearly um something that we're all really really excited about. So I I don't have any questions. My statement is, I'm so excited to put this before the entire council, as I will do on wednesday, um god willing.

A

The only reason I wouldn't is, if there's some, um you know technical change, but um I will intend on pulling this for a vote on wednesday and then it should act. The money should be accessed thereafter, although if you could get uh michelle goldberg a copy of those bullet points, specifically, okay really really helpful, just as we sort of draft our committee report, but um I'm just very excited. What's uh I guess my only question is you know, provided we vote on this and I anticipate it will be unanimous on wednesday.

A

um What phase are we in the renovation? I know it's about a six and a half million dollar renovation. What's when's when's the big ribbon, cutting going to be where I, as a private citizen, can come and uh bring my daughter to hopefully play on this playground? Do we have any idea what the when this will all be completed?.

D

uh To jump in on that, one yeah.

C

D

Okay, so the design is 100 complete. We bid the project in august and are currently um working on the bid review, we're hoping that we will be able to award the contract um within the coming month or so.

D

The plan is to start construction in the spring and then it would be approximately a year's worth of construction just because it is quite a substantial project, and I just wanted to double check on a couple of quick things just to throw out there for um the budget is actually a 7.7 million dollar estimate for the park um and then the other thing I just wanted to clarify um from the bullet points aldo is the rubber surfacing is going to be on the playground, but the um water play is actually um on a hard surface, which is our standard for park.

D

So the rubber the water play is not on rubber surfacing. Sometimes that can get a little bit slick.

B

D

Clarification I wanted to make, but the playground will have the rubber surfacing.

A

That makes sense that makes a lot of sense actually now that you just want to.

D

A

Okay- um and so we think you know, barring any any sort of unforeseen delays which may happen we'd be looking at the summer of 2023, where there will be a lovely ribbon, cutting and we'll be able to access this, and um your keep you had mentioned. I think this is an olmstead designs park and you're gonna, for the most part keep the pathways as they are recognizing.

A

There may be some changes for ada compliance which, in my opinion, as a historian, is more important to have ada compliance than um you know, then keeping them perfectly historically accurate. So it sounds like you're doing the best to both satisfy both of those goals, which is important. um I'm excited. I think this is great great work all around, and this is going to be a wonderful addition to our city. So that's all I have counselor flynn any questions, thoughts, concerns.

B

Thank you, councilman councillor, o'malley and just to say um thank you to aldo and to and to lauren for your presentations and as the vice chair of the civil rights committee. I spend most of my time on that committee working on how we can improve city services for persons with disabilities and what you're doing here is exactly that: you're giving young children the opportunity to also play and have some fun in the playground and enjoy it and be with their friends and be with their family.

B

So you know, just as a city resident you know, makes me so proud to see parks like this parks across the city making improvements for um for our children with disabilities. So I just want to say thank you not just from me, but really from the residents of boston, who really really know the importance of making sure that our parks are accessible to young kids, persons with disabilities. So thank you, lauren. Thank you. Aldo.

A

Thank you, councillor, flynn. Well said I don't see any other counselors. uh I don't believe we have any individuals signed up for. Oh there are two attendants. Oh no, that's uh ep. Would um michelle? Is there any members of the? Are there any members of the public who had signed up to testify sign.

D

A

No signups, I believe, great okay. Well, um I don't know lauren aldo. Are there any concluding remarks before I gavel this hearing out.

D

A

D

I'm really excited about the project too, and and counselor finn. Thank you for the comments about the ada compliance with everything, because we are trying to go above and beyond that, and I know we've met with um commissioner makash from the disability, commission and she's really excited about it as well. So.

A

That's great well, this is you know. I wish we had more hearings like this, because this is just uh wonderful news. All around keep up the great work laura and keep up the great work eldo. We will. uh You know on behalf of counselor flynn and myself. We're gonna pull uh urge all colleagues to vote in support of docket 1013 on wednesday.

A

um I would suggest you will have a very favorable vote on wednesday and just keep up the great work we look forward to being at the ribbon cutting in a couple years, so uh seeing no more uh opportunities for testimony. Docket 1013 and the committee on the environment, sustainability and parks is hereby adjourned. Thank you. Everybody. Thank you. Thank you.

A