FY20 CPC Funding Recommendation Central Hill Park — File 209307

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION FOR FY20 AWARD FOR CENTRAL HILL CAMPUS PHASE I, PUBLIC SPACE AND URBAN FORESTRY DIVISION PROJECT DESCRIPTION Central Hill Park is Somerville’s oldest park (1870) and one of its largest (6.58 acres), located on Highland Avenue between Walnut and School Streets. It is a key element in Somerville’s “civic center on the hill,” which includes City Hall, Somerville High School, and Somerville Public Library’s main branch. The Public Space and Urban Forestry Division will complete the first phase of renovating Central Hill Park, which is the east side of the Central Hill Park property along Highland Avenue between Walnut and Putnam Streets. The remaining phases of the Central Hill Campus will be fully designed and constructed as part of the City Hall, 1895 building, and Library renovation planning efforts. ELIGIBILITY Open space/recreation land: This project will rehabilitate an existing park. RECOMMENDED FUNDING On November 19, 2019 by a vote of 9-0 the Community Preservation Committee recommended appropriating $300,000 for the Central Hill Campus Phase 1 project from the open space budget to the control of The City of Somerville for the overall purposes of first phase renovation of the Central Hill Park. Project Budget Recommended funding amount: Expenses Amount Study $0 Soft costs $0 Construction $4,732,870 Total $4,732,870 Sources CPA open space/recreation land funds- requested $300,000 PARC GRANT $400,000 CITY OF SOMERVILLE $4,032,870 Total $ 4,732,870 JOSEPH A. CURTATONE MAYOR CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

ALIGNMENT WITH FY20 COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PLAN The Community Preservation Plan prioritizes rehabilitating existing recreational land according to need and creatively and coherently combine multiple uses that meet community need. FUNDING CONDITIONS 1. Upon commencement of the Project and as appropriate, the City of Somerville agrees to post a sign stating that the Project was funded through the City of Somerville’s Community Preservation Act program. MEASURES OF SUCCESS The goals of this project are to: • Achieve a historically appropriate and unified sense of space • Improve accessibility within the campus • Respectfully incorporate and relocate numerous war memorials • Integrate the Central Library into the civic experience • Systematically mitigate stormwater impacts • Utilize landscape and urban design elements and wayfinding to enhance the visitor experience Success of this project will be measured by the following: 1. Install site elements with materials appropriate to the historic context of the buildings 2. Deliver new walkways that meet or exceed accessibility standards 3. Install war memorials as directed by the Veterans Committee 4. Support exterior learning moments and library events across the Central Hill Park and Playground 5. Measure stormwater quality and quantity 6. Guide and teach users successfully The full proposal is available at: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/community- preservation-act/2020-cpa-projects