Transmitting Communication from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $44,000 from Free Cash to the Public Investment Executive Department Extraordinary Expenditures which will be used to assist the Department of Conservation & Recreation in constructing an ADA accessible canoe and kayak boat launch

^' ^ City of Cambridge Executive Department !" 1'"^.:' w^^ LOUIS A. DePASQUALE LISA C. PETERSON City Manager Deputy City Manager September 25, 2017 To the Honorable, the City Council: In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 17-30, regarding a report on partnering with DCR and the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association to revitalize Magazine Beach, please be advised of the following: Magazine Beach Park is owned by the State and managed through the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR, formerly MDC). The park, approximately 15 acres in size, functions as an important neighborhood connection to the river, as well as a regional open space and ecological resource, featuring athletic playing fields, a swimming pool, a powder house (historic gunpowder magazine and later bathhouse) and both passive and active recreational facilities. In 1999, the City entered into an agreement with DCR (then MDC) to provide $1,500,000 in funding for renovations, primarily to the fields on the eastern side of the park, (Phase 1 improvements - little league baseball field, full size soccer field, drainage improvements, new exercise station, new picnic area, riverbank and parking lot improvements), in return for priority in field scheduling. The City also agreed to maintain those areas. Phase 1 improvements were completed in 2009. Since that time, the City has continued to invest in improvements to Magazine Beach through the Community Preservation Act (CPA) process. • City provided $25,000 in FY12 for a historic structure report for the powder house • City provided $100,000 in FY14 for exterior renovations to the powder house • City provided $56,500 in FY15 to help complete the Phase 2 design process for the park • City approved $ 1 00,000 in FY 17 for interior renovations to the powder house • City approved $16,600 in FY17 for interpretive signage at the park • The CPA Committee recommended $25,000 in FY18 for an accessible canoe and kayak launch The City's investments since 2012, ($298,100) have resulted in over $700,000 in matching funds and capital expenditures by DCR for improvements to Magazine Beach. A new spray deck will open in September 2017 with additional landscaping improvements around the feature in spring 2018. Work is also scheduled to start in winter 2017 on interior improvements to the powder house including ADA City Hall • 795 Massachusetts Avenue • Cambridge • Massachusetts •02139 [phone removed] - tty: [phone removed] • www.cambridgema.gov

accessible bathrooms (for a future tenant) and utility service. The design firm ofCrosby Schlessinger Smallridge (CSS) working with DCR, is in the process of finalizing the design of the western portion of the park (Phase 2). The Phase 2 design is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2017. The cost for construction of the Phase 2 renovations is currently estimated to be at least $6,000,000. CSS and DCR are also exploring options to phase implementation of the proposed renovations, which would likely cost more. The City will also continue to work closely with the Magazine Beach Partners (formerly the Magazine Beach Committee of the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association) which is made up of neighborhood volunteers and stakeholders who have advocated at both the City and State level for funding and improvements to Magazine Beach. The group recently became a 501c3 non-profit organization in order to facilitate private fundraising for park improvements. The group has met regularly with city staff from the City Manager's office, Community Development Department, Department of Public Works, Arts Council and Department of Human Services Programs, and has been instrumental in coordinating with DCR and CSS on key aspects of the design process, facilitating additional related improvements and maintenance activities, and organizing programming and community events at the park. It is important to recognize that there are many significant open space needs throughout the city, and that priority for open space funding is typically based on several factors including the age and condition of the facility, level of use, accessibility needs, and maintenance issues. The City Manager supports recommending the use of additional city funds for improvements to Magazine Beach, including a substantial investment towards Phase 2 improvements, once the plan is complete, and the State has appropriated funding for the project. The City anticipates continuing to provide financial support (pending appropriate approval from the City Council) for smaller, strategic, incremental, improvements at Magazine Beach, as well as continuing to provide basic maintenance services. Very truly yours, Louis A. DePasquale City Manager LAD/mec