POR 2016 #54 · Agenda item attachment · Feb 29 2016

City of Cambridge O-5 Calendar Item # 1 IN CITY COUNCIL March 14, 2016 COUNCILLOR MAHER MAYOR SIMMONS COUNCILLOR CHEUNG VICE MAYOR MCGOVERN WHEREAS: Harvard Square continues to be a major destination and hub for shopping, dining, entertainment and sightseeing, attracting residents and visitors from surrounding cities and towns and those from around the world; and WHEREAS: The Harvard Square Business Association, which hosts its 106th Annual Meeting on March 4, 2016, has been promoting commerce in Harvard Square for all of its 106 years and has a proven track record of working closely and partnering with residents, students, neighborhood groups, Harvard University and the City of Cambridge; and WHEREAS: The Association has been thoughtful in proposing enhancements to the Square that aim to make visiting the Square more interesting for the public than ever before; and WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge has already taken the important step of appropriating $500,000 in the current fiscal year to conduct an engineering study of the Out of Town Kiosk and surrounding plaza and has further committed $2 million in FY ‘17 and $2 million in FY ‘18 to undertake the full restoration of the Kiosk building and plaza; and WHEREAS: Upon completion, the newly envisioned kiosk will be repurposed to better meet the changing needs of residents and visitors alike with enhanced communal features and uses including preserving the historic and iconic Kiosk, improving pedestrian safety and access, increasing open space and greenery, and adding state-of-art information and technology; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to form a special working group that will be tasked with developing a framework for the continued stewardship, curatorship and oversight of the historic Kiosk; and be it further ORDERED: That the City of Cambridge and the Harvard Square Business Association develop a public/private partnership that will thoughtfully and purposefully continue efforts to support and promote commerce in Harvard Square while being good stewards of the public space by managing the fiscal and programmatic aspects of this important and iconic space.