Boston City TV, MA City of Boston Parks Department, 28 Jul 2021

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From YouTube: Titus Sparrow Park Design Meeting #2 - July 28, 2021

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A

So good evening, everybody, my name, is annie blair and I'm the project manager for boston parks and and we're looking forward to this second community outreach meeting tonight, we're being joined by rob, adams and jonathan cave from our design. Consultants, halverson tie and bond christine brandeo from our um communications department is here with us she's the outreach coordinator for the project, and we had a great first meeting with a lot of participation and a lot of good ideas and desires that were expressed.

A

So the purpose of tonight's meeting is to look at some alternatives for approaching improvements to the park and playground, and I should stress that we are very grateful for your participation and your time and insights.

A

You know we can bring our professional expertise to the project, um but the park users really know the place in a way that um we can't. The rob has a lot of experience.

A

He was a long time south end resident and um worked on the park's renovations last time around, so we're lucky to have his history with the neighborhood and with the park and are grateful for his involvement.

A

So um I'm going to turn it over to rob he's going to have some backup if needed from jonathan and we'll get going.

B

Great thanks, annie.

C

There'll be a little bit of uh housekeeping here at the beginning.

B

Page down, sorry, um I don't know if you want to cover this christine or I can run.

C

Through it, I think, um as mentioned at the onset, the um the meeting is being recorded. um I think everyone chose a consent. um Hopefully we all know- or unfortunately we all know- zoom tips now, but don't hesitate to raise your hand um and there's a small group of us tonight. So I think we can um just chime in and christine can monitor the the hand raises or the chat and maybe we'll just open it up christine since there's so few people, as annie mentioned, we had our first meeting back in july.

C

Some really good feedback tonight is sorry. First meeting back in may um some some really good feedback, uh as I like to label them.

C

There's the listening, there's the which was meaning one meaning two is the sharing and then hopefully meaning three is the celebration where we all uh kind of um congratulate one another and um kind of unveil at least uh the the aspirational direction uh for the improvements and that'll be in september, and then we'll spend you know next year, essentially uh getting the documents ready and then hopefully spring of 2022 will start construction.

C

So tonight we're going to.

C

Review some of the feedbacks we got from last week talk about some of those that feedback and some of the existing conditions and then we've kind of divided the presentation up into kind of baseline improvements a little bit of what we heard from you all and then the kind of meat of the conversation tonight, I think, will be about this concept alternative. So we've highlighted some more design-centric opportunities. I think within the park uh and we'll talk a little bit about play equipment and then there was a lot of com discussion.

C

I think last in may about storytelling and I think that's an interesting part that we'll talk about as well tonight, so in all uh projects, both our own private projects, but projects with the city, boston and with other municipalities right, there's, always a lot of different factors and we're trying to weigh the pros and cons of everyone's input to create. You know the sweet spot of a balanced approach, a balanced solution which considers a lot of different uh inputs, a lot of different realities, maintenance, budget um and then input from the community safety and regulations.

C

Obviously, so what have we? What did we hear? There's ten things here we heard a lot more than 10.. We've boiled it down to 10. um the kind of more key points that we heard last last say last week for some reason that stuck in my head, but last meeting so just run through these real quick um and I'm sure we may have missed some things or, if you weren't at the first meeting, please don't hesitate to add more to the to the feedback.

C

um So one was the concern around the access to west newton and the heavily trafficked uh conditions there and whether there's an opportunity to make that uh feel more safe for the children, so that the parents have a little less concern around. You know: kids bolting out into west newton number, two and number three a little bit more utilized and four. Are you a little bit more utilitarian? Two? Is you know the lighting is quite old on the tennis and basketball courts, and so there's a lot of glare. The timers don't necessarily work.

C

So some improvements around the lighting number three is the lawn, as we all know is, is highly compacted. Has some really poor drainage, some um poor health of the lawn stand? So that's a some concerns. uh Four is also the accessibility, ada accessibility to the tennis court, the basketball court, as well as the stage down there at the bottom of the center lawn.

C

So five uh there was some concerns raised and there's a good dialogue. I think that we had last week and I think it came to out to a good place around safety and security in this idea, rather than gating putting up cameras every 10 feet, just making sure that the park felt open and inviting and so making sure that vegetation was cut back. There was open and clear views from the sidewalks into the park, as well as from the park out to the budding streets.

C

Number six was improvements to the playground. It's dated. The same pit is problematic. The surface is pretty torn up so thinking comprehensively about the playground and what opportunities are there? uh Seven uh there's some requests for diversity of seating, more than just the the granite blocks or the wind benches. uh Eight. The realization that that uh west newton community garden is pretty underutilized. It gets a lot of shade. A lot of the plots are pretty fallow, and so is it the highest and best use for the for this um for this park.

C

Nine is, I think, these last two are kind of more holistic, but I think nine was. There was a general sentiment by the community and, frankly by ourselves that the park really functions really well. There's a lot of good programming elements. They're balanced the circulation is pos laid out in a positive way, and so I don't think anyone was interested in wholesale. I know no one was interested in a wholesale change of the park, but how can we improve it?

C

How can we modernize it in a good way, not in a you know, overly contemporary way, but not lose the spirit of titus pharaoh that we know and love and then, lastly, the historic wall on west rutland's side? uh It has some historic reference. People generally like it, but also provides a visual barrier, and so is there opportunities for making more porosity. Let's call it through the wall, so.

C

And then just you'll have access to this uh um slideshow, but just some quick snapshots of some existing conditions, highlighting a lot of the uh discussion points from last week, so we've divided, as I said, we've divided the park up into the presentation or the design, at least for now up into two components. One is this baseline uh stuff. That is clear cut. You know, needs to happen and then some more aspirational uh based improvements that you'll see next, and I think you know it's a really.

C

Obviously it's a very dynamic time right now in the construction industry we obviously are going to be. You know, pricing and providing a good, strong cost estimate for this work, but, given the climate, it's hard to say exactly where our budgets will fall and so I'll use the word aspirational for the second half of the kind of design components. I think we have every intent of realizing most, if not all of them, but we also as the process moves on right.

C

I think part of tonight might be prioritizing some of the more aspirational components in this next section. So again, um our intent- and I think the parks intent is to is to realize most of these improvements, but the more priority, the more weight we can give to. Some of the ideas. I think that'll help us down the road as budget the reality of the construction climate as it is now will help us guide the design as we move forward so baseline improvements right.

C

What are we going to do regardless so obviously replace the athletic lighting at the tennis and the basketball courts? Full cut off led fixtures with new timers to reduce the glare? Have it uh run on a more consistent manner? I think overall just improve the light quality and uh reduce any sort of light pollution or light spill associated with those and obviously replace the um there's. Some pedestrian scale fixtures in there that are pretty beat up uh some acorns that are actually within the park that we're looking to improve.

C

Also while we're there resurface, both athletic courts so five, um giving it a new surface for both the tennis and the basketball court. uh The second item- that's most likely a baseline improvement, is- is improving the lawn so most likely hogging up all the soil, putting in a new under drain system, new irrigation system and putting down a more structurally based sand soil. So we recently it's not recently anymore completed the hat shell lawn improvements. It's held up relatively well we're pretty happy with that.

C

We've learned some things uh with that project as well, and so applying those principles that we used at the hat shell lawn to this location as well. Basically, better drainage and stronger soil conditions, obviously update the water fountain to new city of boston standards. I said sorry, five was athletic. Quartz four replace some of the existing park benches that are in bad shape and then obviously you'll see in the next section. uh Look for some additional seating. uh Six is repair any of the walking surfaces that are not ada compliant that are worn.

C

There's a lot of the concrete, that's heaved, so removing all of the I'll say non-compliant or um poor quality, paving material and replacing that and then seven doing an overall assessment of the vegetation, both from uh as we talked about clear sight lines, but also, frankly, from a successional planting point of view.

C

Some of the lindens are quite old, they're urban trees and so getting an arborist out to start to assess the health and the salvageability or long-term existence of these trees and start a successional planting uh tree planting program so that when those trees pass, we're not left with a bare spot, but we have a plan for how to uh reestablish the trees going down long term, so that was kind of the baseline right.

C

Those are all the things we're going to do so this last, this middle part we're going to talk about we'll call them advanced, design opportunities, program, places in which we can think uh I'll use. The word aspirational a lot tonight probably think a little bit more aspirationally right. So the playground we know needs to be essentially redone almost in its entirety. The west newton community gardens a little bit in question the two lawn panels, the east and west triangles, as shown at number one here, always a little bit underutilized.

C

But I I think myself as well as others in the community like a little bit of the quietness, that those things bring the lawn is active. The play space is active. Those two east and west quadrants provide a little bit of modular opportunities right. We can build on the lawn. We can build on the play space. They don't want to be too programmed, and so we'll look at those a little bit and then obviously the wall and the opportunities that the wall provides.

C

So we'll look at three options: three concepts: all of them keep essentially the top half of the park almost intact, just making it better doing those baseline improvements. We talked about the the these three concepts, really look at this lower half, except for the the ada circulation to the sports, so quickly. The first concept, looking at providing ada accessibility to the tennis court off the southwest corridor to the basketball court there at the existing steps and then providing accessibility along the wall down to the stage.

C

That's kind of the baseline of most of these looking at revisions around the historic wall and then you'll see in this option providing reimagining that entire quadrant for the play space and then using those east and west triangles to provide additional kind of modular. As I said, a little bit more adventure play nature bass play on the right, and then there was a request for adult fitness equipment, which I did mention sorry in the earlier.

C

What we heard, the idea that there's exercise or play quote-unquote play for all ages within the park and so just in a planned manner. What? What might that look like this? More or less? This concept keeps the playground, um as it is in many ways it. It still has the quadrants or the kind of segments or segregation of the 5 to 12 the 0 to 5, and then the swings- and maybe some spinners very similar to what's in the park.

C

But we've looked at the space a little bit more holistically and introduced this we'll call it a serpentine wall that defines the edge there at that northern corner and that serpentine wall does a couple of things right. It provides a physical, more of a physical barrier for the kids within the play space, so getting out to west newton is more problematic, provides a kind of diversity of seating elements, a long, continuous seat wall.

C

It also allows parents to sit more at that apex, which gives parents and care providers a more kind of 180 360 view of the park and uh their loved ones. It also provides an opportunity for an artistic or narrative or storytelling element, and you can see in the image in the bottom left. This idea of a mosaic wall ignore the space needle ignore the giant blue playground, but the idea really this kind of artistic mosaic wall in the foreground.

C

That could be an additional seating element that tries to tie the playground together, but also is a little bit of a mimic to the to the stage and the seat wall.

C

That's at the lawn and then you'll notice, using that western uh quadrant to provide a few additional fitness, adult equipment, fitness pieces and then the eastern triangle, to provide a little bit of adventure. Playscape elements such as those logs uh that you see just as an idea on that bottom right image.

C

The next uh concept is essentially the same in the areas that it touches, but we leave the eastern or the sorry, the western quadrant along west newton, essentially alone, and we tuck in the adult fitness equipment up uh closer to the west newton area, further away from the play space, and this one thinks of the playground a little bit more thematically and we'll talk a little bit about play types of play: equipment the next round. But as you can see, it's essentially taking over the entire bottom triangle of the park.

C

We've eliminated the west newton community gardens and really expanded the play space to take up that entire area. The subdivision of of of ages would happen kind of naturally by their placement, but it all reads as one large play space, maybe more colorful rubber surfacing, like you see on the left.

C

Introducing a small seating area again at that corner, where parents have a better 180 360 view of the park and can watch the entrances and exits to the park. And then you can see the small area of adult fitness tucked into that corner um up along west newton and.

D

C

Do need a level area for the adult fitness, so we can't just you know, scatter it willy-nilly on the hill, but we need a relatively flat area for accessibility. The last option does something a little bit.

C

Radical is a big word, but something jonathan from our office gave brought up this idea of, rather than manipulating the ramp to get down to the basketball court. Why don't we just raise the basketball court by? I think 15, maybe 14 inches, so that that existing ramp that goes from the sidewalk to the basketball court could be ada compliant, and I said jonathan- that's a genius idea.

C

I don't know why we didn't think of that a long time ago. So there's really no talk with our civil engineers. Some of our geotech. There seems to be at least right now. No concerns about raising the basketball court up. Another 12 to 14 inches would allow it to be a more accessible uh path and we wouldn't have to essentially destroy or refabricate any of the bleachers or seats or steps that cascade down into the basketball court.

C

Just the bottom step would essentially get covered up and we also looked at providing the ramp to the tennis court along the townhouse. We'll obviously have to work to make sure that the foundations are not being burdened. We would probably build a sister wall along the along a townhouse to provide the accessibility off of the diagonal path rather than the southwest corner.

C

And then this idea around the playground keeps the existing playground a little bit more intact. As we know it today, so there's the older five to twelve equipment and then the younger zero to five on the bottom left and the one difference is um rather than the younger play equipment also being in the middle. We would introduce something a little bit more nature based uh a little bit more whimsical there at the corner, maybe a big mound of lawn with again this kind of rustic logs and rocks.

C

It could be an opportunity for adults to sit on just as the great lawn. The big lawn is a opportunity for people to gather this small kind of uh I'm not going to say a rock garden, but this small kind of lawn and and rock grove and log grove could be an opportunity, for you know people to sit as well, and you can see some of the images associated.

C

So those are some three I'll say big ideas around the play space. I think it's mainly about how heavy-handed how thematic do we want to be with the play space? How big do we want the play space to be? Do we want to push it all the way out to the edges, or do we like it being kind of confined the way it is now? The other thing I think, we'd like to get some feedback on is this character of the play space.

C

Last time we designed it there's a real desire to keep everything muted, keep everything a little bit calm and so just curious. If the community has that same concept, or are we looking to do something a little bit more thematic like the images on the right or something a little bit more rustic that uses natural materials or something more contemporary, which is a little bit similar to what's out there now or frida garcia?

C

If you will on the left and so we'd love to hear community input about that tonight and then, lastly, this notion of storytelling came up and I think it's a really. We think it's a really great idea um give some history give some life give some layers to the park. One of the conversations was this notion of the home for pregnant and unmarried women sounds strange, but the wall that is along west newton was actually the garden wall from that original structure.

C

They, you can see here on this image the map, it's upside down from our maps. You can see union church and then this kind of big block in the middle is actually title sparrow park today or at least part of it, and you can see the new england home for um pregnant and unmarried women. Interesting story.

C

uh Second is obviously about titus ferro, his legacy with local national tennis, and is there a way to tell more than just the plaque, that's up on the wall and then, lastly, the notion of community empowerment regarding the the bypass and the orange line itself and and the community's role in in ensuring that the south end wouldn't be essentially the exit ramp that many feared it would be, and so how can those stories get told right?

C

There's a lot of great examples in boston, the haymarket, the found art on the upper left, uh this idea of perforated panels, I think that's at the gardener museum or just off the gardener museum used as a screen device, but also can tell a story with texture pattern: even words: chris christopher columbus, free, garcia on the upper right uh used mosaic and a mosaic artist to translate the story that children told in some sketches into the park. You know solder, precast or sandblasted uh poetry, imagery maps, as you see on the bottom right.

C

So all these are ideas that we can kick start to kick around um and would love to hear others ideas around how we can start to tell some of these stories and which story is more important than the other and then. Lastly, I think the one item I wanted to at least kind of share was this idea of increased porosity around the wall along west newton and so just some quick options. We started to think about right. Some more rectangular perforations, some more static kind of punched openings in the wall.

C

The bottom left the quattro foil, which picks up on the character of the church and the fence, and so we can do some smaller punched openings. Almost these pikamu peekaboo moments. If you will some larger slices on the upper right where they could be fully opened or we could start to inlay panels, stained glass esque. If you will not really stained glass or do we on the bottom right?

C

Do we essentially dissolve a third or a half of the wall and use that perforated metal to allow light and visibility in, but also tell a story or pattern or poetry or imagery around some of the narratives uh that we've talked about so those are.

C

That was a little bit of a lot of information and I think what we're really hoping to get, as I said from the community, is: um are we on the right path? First of all, like this idea that we're keeping the northern half of the park relatively intact, but making it better? Is that a good solution?

C

Second, is the adult exercise equipment it's going to take up some space? Is that something we're really interested in? What's its proximity to the play space, um the play space itself, how loud? How vibrant? How expansive do we want it to be again, do we like it kind of contained in its area, or do we want it to to really kind of seek the limits of that southern quadrant? If you will and then I think.

C

Lastly, the idea around the character of the play equipment um and any other ideas that that you may have so that's more or less, where we're at, I think we're at a good spot. Hopefully- and we've hopefully listened to a lot of the comments and so we'd love to get some feedback from the the small but mighty group. We have tonight and I think that's it. I don't know um christine.

D

Do you want me to read the chat off first, or do you want me to have people raise their hand.

C

Sure or sure you can read the chat off that'd be great.

D

All right um it started off with john stuart asked um would like to come back to the topic of fencing and.

C

Cameras, I'm sorry, you broke up there christine. What was that.

D

He said he would um what jon stewart said would like to come back to the topic of fencing and cameras.

C

uh Sure um I think we can talk about fencing and cameras. I think what I heard what we heard last week. I think we went around the horn if you will around fencing. I don't know about cameras, I think that's more of a parks, department policy, so I'll. Let annie answer that after I talk about fences, but there was some initial desire to have the park. Locked, have big fences um and I think most of the community came around to the fact that that wasn't very equitable.

C

It wasn't very democratic, whereas big fences make good neighbors in in your backyard.

C

They don't necessarily provide that same message in public open space, and so what I heard- and I I'm happy to be corrected or supported or re course corrected. What I heard was that visibility, safe lighting, maybe some security cameras- was really the the key to and making sure the vegetation wasn't. You know kind of opportunities for unwanted behavior to occur.

C

So that's that's where that's where we landed but happy to open that conversation up. If, if necessary- and I don't know john if you want to on, if christine can mute yourself or you john's.

D

Unmuted, if you want some.

E

Time, yeah rob. Thank you. I do remember that topic about the fence.

E

I think I wanted to go back to the cameras, because, because we didn't really get a clear answer for that, because you know I think the topic that we brought up is, you know, obviously, in the whole city everywhere, rising drug problem, a lot of crime, growing crime and um it sort of wasn't an option to have cameras, like other parks, do in the south end uh to just monitor the situation, and I know that the parks department was going to look into that and come back to us for the response.

E

So I didn't want to go at the beginning. You you kind of went over quickly, so I just want to make sure that we don't lose sight of that request.

B

Andy, do you want to talk about parks.

A

Yeah um we have a couple of obstacles with cameras and primary is that we don't really have the staff to monitor, what's showing up on the cameras and take action in a timely way.

A

um So they're of limited use to us and as far as I know, we haven't been able to enlist help from the police department in doing this, and I know that that's not limited to boston. Other municipalities have the same issue. So I think that a better bet is to have the park users present and visible so that that deters um unwanted behaviors.

E

Yeah I unders, I understand I mean I think, and I don't want to develop this topic too much, but you know I I you know. Other city parks in the south end have cameras so somehow that problem's been overcome.

E

The other thing is cameras also record, so that enables the police to do their investigations and most of the crime. Obviously in drug usage is that typically at night, though, actually you know during the off season, it can be more in the daytime, even um during the full season. Obviously the park is full and busy and there's less drug usage, but at night time it definitely during the off season.

E

It does increase in during night time so kind of we just ask that we re reconsider that request and just understand why this part is different from other ones. In the southland.

A

Can you tell me which other parks have cameras.

E

Blackstone has them um and there's one other park which, like which I was working by the other day. I will send an email later I forget exactly which one it was.

A

E

A

Also somebody had asked if there was a way to contribute comments later after the meeting if they can't stay for the whole time, and my contact information is on the flyer which is posted in the park and is also on the project page at the park department's website. So you know I would welcome any emails phone calls.

A

And just so you know, the best email address for me is annie a double n. I e dot blair at boston.gov.

C

I um I like christina, I can see the chat now. Sorry, I was.

D

C

D

Up, if you want to let him.

B

D

However, you can there, you go.

F

Thank you, hi everyone. um I I would agree with john that security has been a huge issue, particularly lately.

F

I don't think that cutting trees is going to remedy this issue, because drug users and other crimes have happened in plain sight lately, and there are other parts, as john pointed out, that have cameras and that can have a deterrence effect too. um You know only if you put a sign saying that the area is under camera surveillance people get deterred from committing crimes.

F

I I've seen many many times. People shooting themselves with drugs on the tennis court, on the basketball courts everywhere in the park in daytime in daylight, um in full view everybody's british.

F

So this has become a real issue and I don't see why this park would be treated any different than the other parks in the city. uh There are also some some cameras. I mean I I frankly I've I've gone from the station to the on the southwest corridor park. um You know not that late and I felt really scared.

F

um So something needs to be done about securities. That's very important and I don't think again that cutting.

B

F

To to to you know, to increase visibility is going to do anything because they're just doing it, you know whatever crimes are doing they're doing it in plain sight,.

B

Yeah- and I I you know, I'm we we can only as much as.

C

Egotistical, as designers can be at times right, we can only do what's within our power and I can promise you that the end product at the end of this project, the park will seem more open, more visible. The lighting will be better it'll, be more active, the kind of broken window or light bulb syndrome of when things start to go into disrepair, they cascade into disrepair and misuse that will that will be that'll go away.

C

I hear you on the cameras and I think it's a valid point and we'll continue to talk with um the parks department and- and I think you and john bring up a very good point and you know annie will do everything she can to to see.

C

If there's a resolution in which cameras can be part of the answer, but we're not going to take the park away, we're not gonna force people, we can't force people not to come into the park, and so I think I will say there will be a marked improvement to the quality of the park when this is done.

F

Yeah now the the idea, just to be clear, is not to take the park away, absolutely not uh just to to to to resolve some of the issues that we've experienced. At the same time,.

B

We're gonna put a parking lot in oliver and we're going to charge a lot of money and we'll all.

C

No, I I joking well, your cu, your concerns are very valid and it's I mean it's something that this park and other urban parks struggle with a lot, and you know from a design point of view, we we will make it a more visible and more porous park, but that doesn't change, as you say, the activities that happen in broad daylight. So um we will all work together to make this park the best we can.

A

One thing I should add, as an aside, is that, given our current urban forestry plan and the desire to maintain as much tree canopy as possible, we are not removing trees for design purposes.

A

We're only doing removals when the health of the tree makes it mandatory and the trees become um a hazard.

C

Right and if I misspoke any any clearing that we were, that I was referencing, would be more of low low branches or understory plantings that are creating visual barriers into the park. You know a tree other than its trunk creates very little visual barrier into the park, so it'd be all the understory plantings. Thinking about the base, understory plantings a little bit differently than what's out there now so steven made the comment about the water fountains. Yes, our fault, there are two water fountains and both of them will be upgraded.

C

um Lorraine uh made a comment that might be a consideration for some form of seeding in the lawn that faces the stage. I think that's an interesting idea that was the intent of the small serpentine rock wall.

C

That's around the pine tree, that's in the lawn, but maybe there's some additional opportunities for for providing a little bit more seating associated in the lawn or maybe the lawn terraces, in a manner that makes it a little bit more advantageous for seating and viewing of the stage. So I think that's a that's an interesting.

C

It's a very interesting point.

G

On that point, um one important consideration, I think, with regard to the lawn, would be from uh from the perspective of being used by little kids. That hill is very popular in the winter for sledding, so um anything that could be done to preserve that aspect of it um and and any additions. Maybe you know if consideration could be given to like there are any big things placed at the bottom of the hill that kids could run into after sledding down the hill.

G

um I think that would be something important to consider, because that's a huge draw. It's one of the really great places in the neighborhood to go sledding on a snow day.

H

So this is, I hear you because I live just on the other side of the southwest corridor park, I'm on durham street and what I've noticed over the years with the wonderful concerts in the summertime which one is going on right now. Is it's a little awkward for older folks to have to sit on the lawn so to enjoy the concerts?

H

So might there be an opportunity to combine both because the sledding is awesome, but those of us who are over 65 it's hard to get down on a blanket on the hill and enjoy the concerts and or even just uh gather with other neighbors. So if there's some kind of, maybe it's uphill off to the side, but within visibility of the stage it would be nice to have some.

H

I saw a picture that showed a table with like four chairs that were attached to it and some options like that would be wonderful.

B

Yeah, I agree, I think.

C

We have I mean my kid slips. Sledded slid on that hill uh for the first you know six years, seven years of their life, and so no the the sled hill is very precious. I think to a lot of people in the community, um and so we may even look at maybe making a little bit higher there just subtly higher at the at the top portion. So there's a little bit more run and I think what lorraine is referencing.

C

Is there an opportunity, for you know some small seating area off to the side or again, is there just a slight folding of the lawn so that there is a little more gracious opportunity for for people to sit in a more comfortable way? So I think those are really valid points and we'll, as I like to say, run them through the flux capacitor and see. If we can't find an answer that that you know finds that sweet spot that we talked about on that diagram early on.

D

Stephen has his hand up.

B

I

Oh hi, thanks. um We have several comments. um One is, I think it's a great idea to raise that basketball court. Not only will it make the ramp more accessible, but it will keep the basketball it'll make the basketball court feel more part of the park and not kind of so. If you could do that, I think that's fantastic!

I

That um left triangle on these pictures. That's that's! Next to rutland square. It's actually used quite a bit and I I think it's really nice having two big green spaces, that being one of them, because some kids are maybe playing soccer in one while other kids are playing frisbee in the other or whatever you have so personally, I I would prefer you not to put in extra. You know, equipment there, putting equipment on the right side triangle towards west newton works better and wouldn't interfere with that. It's okay.

I

To put, I like some of those ideas about putting some some kind of visibility through that fence. Just so long as the visibility isn't so large that those soccer balls start to keep on going out onto one square. You know, because kids are really talking around soccer balls, a lot there.

I

I think, having that large playground is great, I mean that playground is used so much and and um expanding it is great. My personal preference is for either your left or middle ones, not the really colorful one on the right.

I

I forget which slide that was, but but um oh and as for the the there are there have been, or there are um some benches that some people sit on for like the concerts um that go along that path and- and maybe it would be good to have some more or somehow expand those benches, because those work really well for the people who don't want to sit on the grass but still want to be able to view the concerts.

C

B

C

D

Steven michael has his hand up also.

D

Michael, you can unmute yourself.

J

Hello, this is karen and michael is sitting right by my side.

D

J

Just want to make a couple of comments. um I have had some experience in another city with community gardens, creating a children's garden and we both had experience in preserving um a passive use park in said city, and I think that preserving the green space uh that the park currently has is critical, um as you mentioned earlier, with your children's sledding in the winter. It's it's our experience to see the park used, um frequently and with great joy, four seasons of the year.

J

So I applaud you for really designing um a plan that that really preserves the lawn space and uh uh agree with um potential different adjustments to create more comfortable use. I've watched children have music groups under the shady trees, with a guitarist who leads them in song and teaches them abcs and numbers, and all those wonderful things. um The thing that we've experienced with green space is that once you give it up, you never get it back. So that's a really um in our experience.

J

It's been a really critical kind of a red line is that you just have to be aware of that. Once it's gone, it you're likely not to get it back. I I wonder about the adult fitness, um because I don't know how much of a demand you've gotten for that, because I feel, like the children's space, is incredibly precious, um so precious that um as much as I have had experience with commuting gardening, I don't feel a presence.

J

There is uh significant and um I can't speak for the gardeners who participate there, um but I just wonder because there's a great statement of community gardens along this uh along the corridor that there's an opportunity there for those folks and then, um let's see. Lastly, uh the children's area.

J

The experience I've enjoyed in a design for children is to keep it just really natural, um whether it's uh logs to climb on or crawl through or a small water feature, just climbing ropes that lead up to a treetop, the natural and nature experience is seems to really be the more long, lasting and less likely to become dated. And that's what I have to share.

B

Great, thank you both of you yeah. I.

C

We we did get feedback from the community about the adult exercise equipment.

C

um When I was there most of the most of the people I knew were actually exercising on the playground equipment early in the morning right, the the their perfect bullet, pull-up bars and other you know, jump step kind of opportunities within a playground for adults as well as kids and so- um and I there's been a couple comments in the chat as well as your comments about the the flexibility of those two lawn, especially the one on the left, one on west rutland as a as a place for either the playground activities to expand a little bit or the lawn activities has been expanded a little bit.

C

At least tonight, we've been hearing um not to summarize this, but that the adult play equipment either shouldn't occur or it shouldn't occur, at least in that lawn quadrant, but maybe along west newton. It might be a better opportunity if, if we move in that direction, so.

B

C

Those are all very good points. The part about the community gardens those west newton, the ones along west rutland square, the ones closer to the stage I think have always been well used, and currently no one is talking about removing those. It was simply the ones along the west newton, the angled path, if you will that have get a lot less use and many times aren't filled over the course of the year, and so the discussion was to eliminate those.

D

No one has the handlebar right. Now, probably you can go through the chat if you like.

B

B

E

Can I jon stewart, can I say something else.

G

Yes, sorry, so just a few comments on.

E

The previous speakers, which I think were great um just, I think one of the topics that we talked about when we first had the meeting last month, is like not to try to overdo it in the park. The balance was very important um and and just the no water of preference, but while I think adult exercise equipment is nice, I agree, I don't think, there's a huge amount of demand and taking away the green space or open space. For that, I don't think, is that important. We have a tennis court, we have a basketball court.

E

We have plenty of exercise um things around the city. I think it's just overdue for the park. I think subtle, the subtlety, the woman before me phrased it much better around the playground equipment, um natural woodsy, whatever the themes are, some of the things that you showed, I thought were just not really in keeping with this type of park, though I like modernity, I thought that might just have been a little bit too much in terms of the basketball court.

E

I actually think the subtlety of having the basketball port a little bit lower helps keeping it from dominating the park. So I think I like that, also living as a butter to the park. I think that might help the quote: the noise reducing the noise impact. I do want to note that last time I know we put some modern backboards up on the basketball court, which help reduce the noise, I'm assuming we're going to use when we do ever kind of like all the best equipment, yes to help mitigate some of that noise.

E

um So I think I think that's very important, um and I had one other point, but I forget it now so, um um but I and I also like keeping the green space as much as possible kind of rather than eliminating some of it. I didn't want to comment on the wall. I I do like the wall. um I opening it up to bring a little bit light in, I think, is good, um not too much, but I think just kind of creating a little bit of some of the designs you showed there.

E

I thought were quite nice.

C

Great yeah and john, I think we're only talking about raising the basketball court, 14, inches or plus or minus. I think it's about three feet down now, maybe maybe 32 inches down and so it'd still stay recessed. I would I agree, there's there's a it's, not an arena like quality, but there's something about it that the slight depression. But I do uh I do wonder, bringing it up just a little bit.

C

One will help with accessibility, but I, I think also raise it out of the kind of pit quality and maybe move it into the arena quality. um And so you.

E

Know I think, we're gonna. It's been an issue before living here, 20 plus years, but maybe it is an issue. I.

C

Don't know I always like, I always wish it wasn't. Quite so deep, that's my own personal neighborhood view, but um no we're not bringing it up level with the lawn it'll still be slightly recessed, but just enough so that we can make that ramp uh again.

C

Genius idea by jonathan to make that ramp uh an ada ramp, so that we don't have to do a lot of jackhammering out of concrete or whatever it's just simply redoing that ramp and raising the floor, and I think it'll help us if we're talking about using that as storm water retention. We've been flirting around with using the area underneath the basketball court, as permeable surfacing uh to allow some stormwater, rainwater, storage and so raising it up, might help us in that regard to put more granular reservoir under there.

C

So it may be a win-win in that regard.

C

E

C

Just looking through the chat to um yeah, as john said, you know, we put new basketball backboards on 10 years ago whenever we uh time flies and it really helped- and I think both new uh back uh backboards new rims and I think even the new surfacing has uh some sound improvement uh qualities to it. So we'll definitely, as john said, use all the best practices around noise mitigation regarding the basketball courts.

A

So rob are they the um perforated backboards from true bounce.

C

No, I don't know, I don't remember if the perforated were around, then um it was mainly honestly. They were just old and had become. You know.

C

Not very rigid anymore, so everything was rattling around every time, but that was a long time ago. So, we'll I don't know if we'll use the true bounce, perforated, um obviously annie. You have a lot of experience with that. So we'll figure out you know the best uh best solution regarding the backboards.

A

We use those in another park and another municipality where there were triple deckers right on top of the basketball court and they made a really big difference.

A

Plus the sales rep is named wayne newton.

A

It's easy to remember him.

E

C

And well so I'll say a lot of the there's been some good input regarding um the play space. The message, I'm just gonna, repeat back. I think what I've heard and if, if I've heard differently, then please interject, but maybe not definitely not overly thematic. Overly uh kind of tall object. Super modern colorful, but maybe something a little bit more rustic um again a little bit more muted and really putting some importance into the texture.

C

Quality um tactile experience around the play space rather than you know, bright, shiny objects and if there's a way to introduce water, that's always tricky. But I think we can explore that as well and then, if there is adult play equipment, maybe located on the west newton side and allowing that western triangle that western quad to be what it is today, but an improved lawn with irrigation and um better drainage.

E

I actually think if you go on the west newton side, it's just more disruptive to the the park. Frankly, um just the kind of like the the serenity of that section of the park. If you will, if, if we're trying to look at different zones, but anyway, one person yeah.

C

I mean if it's at the, if it's near the bottom right uh opposite the community gardens there, where it's at in operation number three to me. That has some potential to to be a place where it wouldn't disrupt kind of the grassy knoll. If you will the pine null okay, but we can.

E

C

I think there's, I think the jury, at least from the design team, is still out on the adult play space and maybe at the last meeting we'll you know, have an option with and without it and and we can get some more feedback, then.

A

And one thing to note about adult um exercise equipment is that it's much more low-key than playground equipment. You know it doesn't have to be terribly visible um it can. It can be fairly subtle.

C

Yeah- and I forget, we did some research what percentage of it is required to be accessible, so there can be. You know, objects that are more tucked up in the hill and, as annie says, a lot less visible and some of the kind of more accessible or bigger objects may be down near the pathway.

C

But let's let us advance that a little bit more and I think at the last at the third meeting, we'll come back with an option with and without the adult play adult exercise equipment and I apologize if I've been saying adult play, equipment.

A

So this is, we've been thinking about um our next meeting, showing a preferred option or variations on a preferred option in september, and I wish I could be more clear about when that might happen in december.

A

I have um I have an unplanned for scheduling sort of dilemma, and that is that I was called for federal jury duty for the last three weeks in august, and I just won't know until I get into it what what my availability is going to be like. So if you all can remain a little bit flexible. I would appreciate that so much.

H

So so I'm sorry annie, I I it feels like this is lorraine. I feel it feels like the meeting is about to wind down, but I submitted some chat.

H

Questions that um I haven't heard a response to around is there: has there been any consideration for a small dog run on the park, I'm on the board of the southwest quarter park conservancy, so we're very focused on the state park that it butts, the uh of which titus sparrow abuts the park, and we just have, as does the current titus sparrow park, has lots of dogs that run free, even though the signs say please do not let your dog run.

H

Has there been any? Was there any previous discussion about whether or not there might be a small spot on west newton street or around near the church um that could potentially a dog park? A block away doesn't quite solve the problem. Sorry michael, um has there been any consideration with regard to having a small dog run near the park or near the church or somewhere?

H

That's uh not too obvious, but could accommodate the ever increasing number of dogs that we're all having to deal with. In the city.

A

So this is not something that came up previously until today, at least as far as I'm aware- and um I know that dog runs are few and far between.

A

I know that, because we have a dog and on the other hand, this is not an enormous space and um I think we would have to look very carefully at what we would have to give up in order to accommodate that, and also who would maintain it and how they would maintain it. Yeah.

H

Just something to think about, um we have a very small dog park on the southwest corridor park right. The southwest quarter park is seriously overrun with dogs, many of which come from both the back bay and the south end right and and even in the titus barrel park. People really don't abide by the signage right. You let their dogs run, which really makes it very difficult for people to enjoy the grass, um because it's just not as safe as it used to be so just a thought. Yep.

B

Yeah, I think, lorraine, it's a good.

C

Comment, I mean it's comment. We all get um every open space, we work on in the city and.

H

C

Yeah he said it's a unfortunately it's uh and or it's not a it's, not an, and it's an or conversation like what program or what open space are we going to dedicate to the dog park because, as you say, there's no duplicity um in dog park spaces, not that there is necessary in playgrounds either. But um I think that's something we'll we'll have to continue to talk with and frankly I think your suggestion about a small one, somehow closer to the church. You know the church should be part of that conversation as well.

C

So maybe the friends group um we can have a dialogue with the church. If there's any opportunities along the west newton corner, there yeah.

H

And- and I mean shame on all of the real estate agencies that say, this entire area is dog friendly, because it's a magnet and we and we all struggle with it. uh The one last comment I had which I submitted in the chat and I apologize.

H

um There- is a proposed soup kitchen, um that's going up in the meth union church and it will attract people who have a need for meals on a regular basis. Has that been discussed or considered with regard to how the space will be used around the church?

H

Or has there been any discussion with the church in terms of the potential impact on the park? Redesign.

A

Well, I'm grateful to you for bringing it up, because this is news to me, and um so I think that this would be a great thing to discuss with the church, because it could absolutely have an impact on the on the park.

H

And I do believe that the uh construction of the commercial kitchen is well on its way because it was funded by a cpa grant, so it got it got deferred as a result of covid. But I believe the construction has started back up again, and so I think uh we don't fully appreciate what the final plan is in terms of.

H

But but but my understanding is that a luncheon of a day food facility and has been closed and the intention is to bring- is to open up this, the this kitchen long term to support those and- and we just don't really appreciate what the impact is going to be. So I wanted to bring it up.

B

Yeah, I appreciate, and I.

C

We should you know through the friends or steve, and I think we were to the you know, martin, when he was around reverend martin was so integrated into the earlier redesign 10 years ago. I think it'd be good to have a conversation with the church about what their hopes and dreams and fears are as well. So maybe stephen, we can try to facilitate that conversation with them.

I

Yeah yeah, this is steve. We have a member of the church, who's kind of representing the church on the friends board, and so we can certainly discuss it with him. The church has been providing at least I think of so far, maybe just one day a month food, um but maybe not cooking for them for people in need in the neighborhood.

I

So far it hasn't as far as I'm aware, significantly impacted activities in the park, but and people have had concerns, and so far the the belief in the church is that it's really a very independent activity that they would enter from a side door on west newton street, which is pretty close to columbus avenue and the thought is it's not really going to impact the park itself, but um we can certainly have more discussions with them about that and I'll.

D

Bring it up with.

I

A

Well, when looking out my office window, I can see the american red cross food bank that um offers groceries two times a week and the the line of people on foot is really impressive, not to mention the people who come by in cars.

A

So you know there's such a huge need right now and um I don't see that changing very much in the near future.

D

B

Yes, steve just let us know reach out and let us know how we can.

C

Bring the church into the fold station that would be great, much appreciated.

I

Or we'll do.

B

B

C

To hear other comments- um and it's as annie said when her life uh works out a little bit more clear in august, we'll set up uh the final public meeting right now, sometime in september, is uh the discussion.

H

So annie, you need a sympathy.

A

Well, I wanna you know I want to do my duty. I want to be a good citizen and on the other hand, I pray that.

A

This doesn't turn out to be a very long term commitment and I I've always you know at some point with the suffolk county courthouse they ask if you have family in law enforcement and I've always been able to say yes and that's gotten me off, but I understand that with the federal court system, that's not an automatic out, so we'll just we'll see what.

C

Happens- and I think you know annie said by all means reach you- several people have reached out to annie and and has then sent information on to us, so encourage you. If there's something you forgot or you hear something from a friend or neighbor, please don't hesitate to send an email, we're we're very much an open door policy, so uh would love to hear anything even after the fact of tonight's meeting would be.

B

Greatly appreciated.

A

And lorraine, I I had to laugh when you were talking about um people of certain abilities not being that enthusiastic about sitting on the lawn. I don't have a problem with all sitting down on the lawn. It's getting up. It's so problematic.

H

So maybe there could be stair rails, everything.

A

Yeah one thing we.

B

Have been doing velocity, ejector seats.

A

We've been including um center handrails on a lot of our benches, partly because that does make it easier to get up off the bench and it also discourages people from sleeping on the bench.

H

And that's the issue we deal with on the the corridor park.

A

H

I had to come up with a variety of ways to make it more difficult more well, I don't mean to say it that way, but.

C

H

It's it's a challenge. Yeah any. Can I just uh reconfirm your email address: a-n-n-I-e dot b-l-a-I-r-e at boston.gov.

A

There's no e at the end of blair; okay, that's just it's like tony blair.

H

D

Are you related.

H

A

Well, thank you all so much for your time. I really appreciate your participation and your insights and it's given us a lot to think about and work with, so um this has been terrific. Thank you. So much and thanks.

B

To all everyone.

A

Yep rob and jonathan and christine for um moving this forward.

B

Great. Thank you. Everyone.