CPC Funding Recommendation Central Hill Change of Scope — File 210298

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE CHANGE OF SCOPE RECOMMENDATION FOR FY20 AWARD FOR CENTRAL HILL CAMPUS PLAN PHASE I, PUBLIC SPACE & URBAN FORESTRY DIVISION PROJECT DESCRIPTION In FY20, the Community Preservation Committee recommended, and the City Council approved, a $300,000 award of Community Preservation Act funds for the rehabilitation of the Central Hill Campus. 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. The original scope did not limit the use of CPA funds within the first phase of the Central Hill construction project. The Community Preservation Committee would now like to limit the use of CPA funds to the reconstruction of the Central Hill Playground to ensure the playground construction can go forward using funds from the Commonwealth’s Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant. ELIGIBILITY Open space/recreation land: This project will rehabilitate an existing park. RECOMMENDATION On June 10, 2020 by a vote of 7-0 the Community Preservation Committee recommended changing the scope of the FY20 funding award for the rehabilitation of the Central Hill Campus to be amended to allow the use of CPA funds exclusively for the reconstruction of the Central Hill Playground. JOSEPH A. CURTATONE MAYOR CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

Project Budget Recommended funding amount: Expenses Amount Study $0 Soft costs (Owners Project Manager and Conceptual Design) $0 Construction $4,732,870 Total $4,732,870 Sources CPA funding awarded $300,000 PARC Grant $400,000 City of Somerville $4,032,870 Total $4,732,870 ALIGNMENT WITH COMMUNITY PRESERVATION PLAN The Community Preservation Plan prioritizes rehabilitating existing recreational land. 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 FUNDING CONDITIONS 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. The full proposal is available at: https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09- 24_CENTRALHILL_CPA_APPLICATION_print.pdf