A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-78, regarding upgrades to the Paul Dudley White Community Path and Magazine Beach renovations

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department IRAM FAROOQ Assistant City Manager for Community Development SANDRA CLARKE Deputy Director Chief of Administration KHALIL MOGASSABI Deputy Director Chief of Planning 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov TO: Louis DePasquale, City Manager FROM: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development SUBJECT: Awaiting Report #18-78 dated 6/25/18, regarding Upgrades to the Paul Dudley White Community Path and Magazine Beach Renovations DATE: November 9, 2018 With respect to the above-referenced Awaiting Report, we submit the following. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in September approved FY19 funding in the amount of $225,000 to start the design process for Memorial Drive Phase III. This funding will create a new design for the path system and riverfront between the Boston University (BU) Boat House and the Eliot Bridge, including the BU Rotary. The approved funding will bring the design to 75%; the rest of the design is programmed for FY20. Construction funding is expected to be approved for FY21-22. DCR issued a solicitation for a design consultant team in October and is expected to start the community engagement process later this year or early 2019. We expect the Memorial Drive Phase III design process to take into consideration and be coordinated with the ongoing Magazine Beach renovations. We will request that DCR schedule a meeting to include city representatives, Magazine Beach partners, MassDOT, the cycling community and other stakeholders early in the design process. The focus of the meeting will be on the coordination of Magazine Beach and Paul Dudley White Path planning. Additionally, DCR has indicated that it will look at potential short-term opportunities for improving traffic flow through the BU Rotary - for all modes - before the end of the year. Any improvements would utilize temporary materials such as paint and, potentially, flex posts. No construction would take place until the Memorial Drive Phase III design process has been completed in FY20.