##VIDEO ID:f_W3coRPBGM## uh good morning everyone today is Tuesday May 28th uh it is our monthly Boston Parks and Recreation uh commission public hearing um today we have one item on the agenda in the term of Acquisitions uh I my name is Ryan Woods I have the pleasure of serving as the parks commissioner for the city of Boston I am joined by our fellow associate Commissioners Alisa birdy Jean Ballinger William erson um also our executive secretary who oversees the park commission Carrie Marsh Dixon and our chief landscape architect Liza Meyer um we are in a regular Zoom meeting format instead of our um Regular webinar so I think everyone's in one wait waiting room so um just for clarification we go through the Acquisitions and then we will open it up if anyone has questions for public comment on the acquisition uh item on the agenda with that being said Madame secretary I pass it to you for the first item on the agenda please this is a vote to purchase for Park and Community preservation purposes a parcel at 3131 Washington Street in Roxbury known as Egleston Square Peace Garden and Carrie presenting on that is Cathy hi my name is Kathy Baker Eclipse I'm the director of the capital plan for boster Parks uh I'm here to present uh some information on the eklon Square uh pieace Garden that we have been working on for for several several uh about a year and a half now so um I'm G to give you a short presentation and then answer any questions uh that you have after that okay can you see my screen yes okay um so neelon Square Peace Garden is at the corner of uh Washington Street and School Street the site is currently owned by Clear Channel Outdoors uh it's been in the it's rolled over into several names uh but currently is owned by Clear Channel uh uh it does contain billboard advertising uh currently and that is something that will be addressed uh shortly after the purchase is complete uh the community adopted this as a garden space um about 20 years ago um and has really taken care of it since then um maintained it for several years um after the initial build that was really a community-led and Community initiated uh yes Mommy no I know Ali I think you're not on mute if you don't mind hi this is the this is the stenographer taking the meeting minutes first of all um yes I want to be sure everyone talks one at a time and I don't mean to interrupt it's just I was on here from 9:30 and if I got in a bit late it's because I was told that I would be invited in or let in so I apologize if if nobody knew I was here uh but anyway and also because we are on Zoom um and I would say Miz Eclipse um if you could just speak more succinctly um because it is um not the greatest platform so okay but do my best you I'll do my best thank you uh so several years ago the uh the the neighborhood group uh applied for a community preservation Grant and was was denied a grant or beautification grant for from the community preservation act um and that was denied because they did not have site control at the time um subsequent to that Clear Channel listed the property uh for sale and Parks began to investigate how we could acquire the property because of the strong Community interest in pron serving this site uh as a garden so the site contains several mature trees uh which provide welcome shade in this high heat area uh the currently the site is restricted by a six foot high chain link fence um and it blocks off the site furnishings and rais planters that the community has used and taken care of uh so Parks uh began to negotiations with Clear Channel and have negotiated a price of $300,000 for the acquisition of this property for uh open space purposes the listing price was $1.1 Million the funding will be P will be uh will be through the open space acquisition fund that is funded from the community preservation act uh the billboard will be removed by Clear Channel shortly after the purchase is is complete um and the fence removal will be coordinated with the community so that they can prepare the community and prepare to come in there and uh and and we welcome the rebic of that with Community Partners um after that the fence comes down um the site will be incorporated into the Boston Parks and Recreation maintenance plan um so we will remove trash remove leaf seasonly remove snow when that when that's appropriate um and the we will be considering a CPA Grant um for a beautification for our capital investment um and future Community preservation act funding rounds uh this this image you can see that this the small the small dot small star shows where uh the site lays in relation to some high heat areas um within the city so it is in a higher heat area um and and the site does feel very hot along the commercial strip so that's really um the bulk of the the as the presentation that I have so I can I can answer any questions um they might have thanks um Kathy so I I I'll start some questions off before uh my associate Commissioners if you can just talk what this actually means by acquiring uh the property article any protection that it will have from future development Etc sure the um so the site will be um acquired by The Parks Commission uh on behalf of the parks department and will be uh incorporated into its inventory and that land will then become article 97 protected which means that it is protected in perpetuity from uh from disposal from uh from conversion into another use so it will remain open space uh in perpetuity through its protection and ownership of by the parkks department and and then another um question Kathy is if you could um talk a little bit how we prioritize Acquisitions and paral priority plan Etc and other ways that we form a list and Robert I think you're off mute just Robert pollster if you just want to mute yourself thank you the um so the parks department has done a paral priority plan uh under Liza's leadership and and um and identified several key areas throughout the city several key Parcels that um are at risk for for development are um or would help uh provide more more open space recreational opportunities uh whether it's shade or whether it's it's active Recreation um so trying to look for where there are gaps in our current system and where uh Parcels that are that currently exist in the in the city could help close that G um this site was one that was vulnerable um but is is extremely important to the to the Egleston Square Community um and that's why parks department pursued it because of its strong connection to the community and uh and real sense of Pride and ownership that that this space has in the Egleston Square neighborhood thank you any questions for my associate Commissioners Alisa Jean or William yes I I have a question um so it seems like there's a modest uh number of amenities that are on the property currently um and their condition not clearly understood by me um have these amenities been inventoried and are their conditions understood and is there anything that has to happen before this open space asset is sort of ready for prime time as a public park in an open space asset that's a great question uh we have a physical survey um of the of the site um which it's not a topographic survey but it is a there's the physical features are described um and we have performed uh environmental assessment of the initial uh environmental assessment of the site uh so we understand the site history and we understand the some of the site constraints that are there um the site has been surrounded and really blocked off for several years by that six foot fent so there's quite a bit of of growth that needs to be um be dealt with there's quite a you know it's getting a little overgrown um so there's there's some weeding that needs to happen and some uh some remediation work um in the plantings to to bring it back to a usable condition um and that's something that we would coord with the with the friends of eon Square to make sure that um we're ready to kind of make a full Full Assault on that uh on that property when that fence comes down uh the the billboard does need to come down so we'll need to Grant a construction access license to Clear Channel for them to take that down that will be done at their expense um and that so I I don't know all the the equipment that they're going to need to do that but they will need access um to do that so that's something that will be coordinated shortly after after we acire the property we are very excited about the removal of the outdoor advertising I I know that um Alisa to many questions um to sort of piggyback on the previous question um what uses are intended for the space after um the billboard is removed and the you know whatever um weeding and and tidying is is uh taken and um what what sort of plans are there for the space so the immediate plans um I'd say in the next couple of years um for a couple it will take us a couple of years before we can really Implement a capital plan um will be restoring it to its previous there's some benches there's some tables um and and some raised planting beds so I think that activity will will resume while we think about what the long-term future of that site is I it will remain a passive open space i i there it's not large enough to accommodate any active Recreation uses um and the community really had a vision for this a couple of years ago when they applied for a CPA grant for beautification um and I think we will resume those conversations um with the community to see what the what the vision is and and also how it complements other open space in the neighborhood okay thank you William do you have any questions uh thank you Ryan no specific questions I'm quite familiar with this site but I do think several commendations are in order uh in general I want to recognize everybody in the community who made this happen it's quite the feat I remember when that fence went up and success stories like this are quite rare uh so kudos to everybody in the community who organized and made this possible I also want to commend uh the department staff who really took action and made this happen so that the city of Boston could acquire and permanently preserve this site so just a thank you to every involved thank you with that I go to our chief landscape architect Liza Meer Liza is there anything to add that we left out no everything's been covered thank you great with that I will open it to public comment if you want to raise your virtual hand um Tammy will do that this is uh your ability to testify on the acquisition here again this is the vote to purchase for Park and Community preservation purposes a parcel at 3131 Washington Street in Roxbury known as the Egleston Square Peace Garden [Music] so as Denise is first are you okay okay good Denise is there great hi my name is Denise Delgado I'm director of eglon square Main Street and we are also part of the friends of the eglon square Peace Garden um I'm so so happy that I never really thought this day was going to was going to come so I'm thrilled that this is happening um I just want to say that um yeah there's been efforts to to move this forward for many many years and this is a space that until you know the fence went up was really beloved by the important to the community for as a public space for people for programming for people to get people together who normally didn't necessarily um interact for arts and culture um so I want to say um that over the last few years we've worked with a private donor to establish an eglon Square Peace Garden fund at the Boston Foundation that's specifically designated for Arts and Cultural programming so once the park is you know in condition to be activated again there is funding there um to to to do programming live music film screenings all the things that the community really treasured you know before um I do want to offer just based on our experience as a community um that after my own experience and talking to others in the community we feel really strongly that the fence should remain in place until the um because the the space has deteriorated so much um it's vulnerable to you know negative use and to further deterioration um until there's like a CPA renovation of the space um so I just wanted to say that um the the um tables and chairs and things are are we received a grant in 2020 um to to do some space activation in in that space um some temporary placemaking so that's part of that and I'm happy to kind of work with whoever we've come up with some ideas for where those um tables and um park benches and stuff where it can go or what we can do with it in the meantime but I just wanted to mention that um and then finally there's a school that's um right behind the the park um and then there's greater that's in renovation or it was recently acquired as a to be used as a preschool and then across the street is greater eglon high school so there's quite a number of schools and youth serving organizations in the area and we really look forward to eventually see you know those being Partnerships with the park again so anyway thank you so much to everyone in parks and um and and chief mariama who really helped make this um happen thank you thank you Denise is there anyone else that would like to testify on the acquisition commissioner yes this is this is Bob poster okay are you here to testify on the acquisition yes please oh great um I've served as a convener for the friends of the Egleston Square pieace Garden for the last several years I was also the executive director at esac in early 2000s when the when the deal was reached with Clare channel to release that space for a dollar a year and it gave the community some level of control over how it was used as a A Gathering Place a place to memorialize youth loss to violence I have a long history with the Peace Garden I'm really thrilled and excited this is a momentous day in the history of the Peace Garden that we're we're working with the city for this acquisition and I do want to thank U mayor Wu and the Commissioners uh and all the community groups that have been part of the friends over the years to keep this park uh a local gem um I agree with Denise that it's going to take a little bit of time to move to the next level once the acquisition is is completed but the community stands ready and the friends stand ready to partner with the city and to uh be helpful in maintaining and preserving the space over time so thank you again this is as I said it's it's a momentous day for folks who treasure that space in englon Square thank you thanks Robert uh Maria hi good morning thank you for um inviting the public to comment on this and um I also want to start by uh really appreciating the people the leaders in our community um and and in the city uh who have you know just pushed this project forward against tremendous odds um and I wanted to come and show my support as uh a resident of the neighborhood um I've I've lived in the area for um probably almost 25 years and I'm I've been a homeowner for the last 19 years in the area and um I remember a lot of uses of the the Peace Garden that has really meant a lot to my family and so um my daughter recently um she has a new baby and so I'm really looking forward to a future where you know they'll she'll her you know new generation will get to enjoy some of the same opportunities she's had um back when she was in like K1 at theis like four years old you know they had a program um at similar to their being a preschool right near the location now at the Y there was um a program where the Y had um they had an arrangement in stewardship over the um the raised beds and they were able to educate the children about you know um you know plants and um and nature and um that that was a really good opportunity in kind of a safe contained um space that was was right next to there and um as well we've really really benefited from a lot of the cultural programming the stage that was built and the performances um that have been held that you know again bring together um different folks in in a neighborhood that um it's a little area a corner where it it doesn't have as much access to some of the open space that other parts of Jamaica plane uh do so I think it's going to be really meaningful and um you know there's there's folks in the longtime residents in the neighborhood that um look forward to continuing to volunteer you know with the Peace Garden and the friends of the Peace Garden and um Steward it into the future thank you thank you Maria Carolyn Royce oh hi uh thank you also for letting the public into this hearing this is like such an amazing day I'm just speaking on behalf of Egleston Square neighborhood association it means so much to have Park ownership of this land especially the last few years when when any agreements with Clear Channel fell apart there was no path forward for renovation for use for planning we had we had options for funding that we couldn't take advantage of um so it just the park ownership really gives stability to the land and I just want add that our green spaces in Egleston Square are small but they are so meaningful to us because they give us green space in the middle of a really really busy intersection and also these are our places where we gather like Denise pointed out um these are places where where people can come together and we don't have a lot of those right immediately in the Square so I just thank uh everybody who worked on this and thank you so much to the Parks Commission and the parks department um so so we're we're really happy thank you thank you Ken is there any other public comment uh on this part acquisition I'm seeing no other hands RS but I do want to just point out in the uh comments an Hernandez uh just said this is amazing thank you for making it happen eglon square is where I lived when I moved from the Dominic in Republic over 30 years ago I'm looking forward to that gem being shared again with the public Carolyn lenberg all right thank you so much um a couple people mentioned um the different schools on School Street we got four three almost four schools on School Street and that's also that corner is also a bus stop um so I think it's also worth mentioning um that a lot of school children will be able to benefit um from this space um from the renovations and being able to wait for the bus under the shade of a tree and in a beautiful spot with you know birds and insects and stuff and you know across the street from greater eglon High they've done a bunch of different um site amenities they have like an incredible sort of maker space set up with lots of different tools and laser cutters I'm actually working with them right now on sculptural seating for um a park two blocks away it would have been in the Peace Garden if it were are open um but I I look forward to collaborating with them in the future on um you know beautiful sort of site amenities um and also involving Hernandez youth my my child is a student at the Hernandez which is two blocks away um and we'll be next to a preschool so just it will be treasured by so many children and um we're all just so thrilled that this is moving forward so thank you so much thanks carollyn nice to see you again um Kevin Brill hi there um so Kevin bril I'm the head of current head of school at greater eglon uh just to say uh to e off Carolyn there we're really excited um not only for the opportunity moving forward um but the sort of perpetuity of the um establishing of the park really honors the history of the school and the founding of the school uh there are uh commemorative bricks in the um path in the park there that have names of people lost to gun violence um uh historically and that's uh intrinsically linked with the founding of the school uh and the um path it took with originally designing uh the park so we thank you and uh look forward to uh what's lies ahead and remain committed to being part of that thank you Kevin I'm not seeing any other hands is there any other public comment on on this acquisition for the record I'm seeing none any other questions for our associate Commissioners that they have that were not answered okay for the associate Commissioners once we do make a motion I do have some legal language that is pretty long to read so I think uh I'm happy to read that after a motion's in place do I have a motion I'd make a motion to acquire the park thank you commissioner bird I makes a motion do we have a second I'll second William everon seconds and again just to bear with me for the language the Parks and Recreation Commission on behalf of the city of Boston for the community preservation purpose of providing a park hereby authorizes the purchase in accordance with chapter 185 of the acts of 1875 using Community preservation fund monies appropriated appropriated to the open space acquisition fund of the Parks and Recreation Department by votes of the city council on March 31st 2021 April 12th 2022 April 12th 2023 and May 1st 2024 of the fee simple interest inclusive of trees and structures standing upon and affixed thereto in accordance with a purchase and sale agreement with the granter of a parcel of land at 3131 Washington Street in the rockbury neighborhood AKA Egleston Square Peace Garden consisting of 5,497 square feet of open land identified in the records of the assessing Department as parcel 1 one1 32800 inbounded and described according to a plan of survey titled plan of land 3131 Washington Street by Boston Massachusetts prepared for the city of Boston Parks and Recreation Department and made by Feldman geospatial Boston headquarters 152 hamen Street Boston Mass 02119 Joseph R zuto pla date of certification May 26 2023 and to be recorded at the suffk County registry of deeds upon the conveyance of the deed and to have the commissioner of the Parks and Recreation Department enter into all contracts agreements or documents and execute any and all instruments as may be necessary to affect said purchase breather uh all in favor say I I I I the motion passes unanimously thank you very much there are no other items on our agenda for um this month so with that I uh will take take a motion uh to adjourn so moved so moved we have a second I'll second it second thank you very much everyone for attending our May hearing of the Parks Commission we look forward to seeing you next month bye bye take care