a communication from Mayor McGovern, transmitting a memorandum regarding creating a fully accessibly playground in Cambridge for children with disabilities

OFFICE of the MAYOR Marc C. McGovern Mayor October 25, 2018 Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk: Please include the attached letter RE: Creating a fully accessibly playground in Cambridge for children with disabilities on Communication and Reports from Other City Officers for the Regular City Council Meeting on Monday, October 29, 2018. Sincerely, Nive MCe Page 1 of 1 CITY HALL, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139 [phone removed] FAX [phone removed] TTY/TDD: [phone removed] EMAIL: mcgovern@cambridgema.gov

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR mayor@cambridgema.gov Marc C. McGovern Phone: [phone removed] Mayor Fax: [phone removed] October 25, 2018 RE: Creating a fully accessible playground in Cambridge for children with disabilities To the Honorable, Members of the Cambridge City Council: Over the past several months, the City Manager and his staff, along with my office, have been working on a plan to address the challenge that parents face in finding accessible options for their children to play and explore. More than a fifth of students in our public schools report some form of disability, which speaks to the opportunity to more broadly engage children with disabilities in fully accessible playgrounds. It is with great excitement, then, that I can informn you of an upcoming appropriation request from the City Manager for $2.5 million to create a 100% Universal Design playground in Cambridge. Universal Design is a design approach guided by a specific set of principles that takes into account not only accessibility and mobility, but also potential sensory, cognitive, and emotional barriers. Creating a Universal Design playground in Cambridge is consistent with and advances the City's goals related to both open space, accessibility, and inclusion. The City currently works to select and together. City staff, particularly through the Open Space Committee, will continue to support projects. An exclusively Universal Design playground, however, would be the first of its kind in Cambridge and have the potential to serve as a national model. While the concept of Universal Design is becoming more recognized, there are very few examples anywhere of playgrounds that exclusively showcase Universal Design features. Such a playground can be a very effective way to demonstrate key principles of Universal Design while also roviding benefits to the entire community. Users are able to benefit from playground elements not ju nysıcally, but also developmentally, emotionally, and socially. A successful Universal Desig playground is intended to be used by people of all abilities of all ages. A relatively large footprint is needed to create a truly one-of-a-kind Universal Design playground probately 0. 75 alre, tre poted ald undekind resto open pare on barely Pak niece at to th Field Street parking lot. The engineering/landscape design firm of CDM/Smith, which is under contract ith te city for waneny rark oversight, conducted further analysis of the site and stated: "the site is ope nd has the most versatility for different playground concepts. Because of the amount of fill on the site, i allows for manipulation of the existing landform to introduce different levels and alternative play options within the landscape." Page 1 of 2

My office will continue to work with the City Manager and staff to create a focus group comprised of city staff, parents, abutters, and educators to work closely with the design firm to develop program concepts in a comprehensive public process. The program design phase with the focus group will occur over the next few months, with the goal of having public meetings in the early part of 2019. Construction could potentially begin as early as late summer 2019 and would last about a year. I wish to express my thanks to the City Manager and his staff for moving forward on addressing this issue which will be of tremendous benefit to the entire Cambridge community, and will continue our work for greater equity and access for all. Sincerely, Mime Mce Page 2 of 2