Conway LWCF_Council request to authorize application — File 22-1323

Order to be submitted to Somerville City Council on July 14, 2022, requesting acceptance of, and approval to expend, a $750,000 grant with no new match required, from MA Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs to the OSPCD PSUF Department for costs related to Conway park remediation and construction. To the Honorable City Council: I respectfully request that you approve the acceptance and expenditure of $750,000 of grant funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to support the redevelopment of Conway Park at 560 Somerville Avenue at the intersection of Somerville Avenue and Central Street, and adjacent to Veterans Memorial Rink. This grant funding is meant to support the park and plaza portion of the Conway Park redevelopment project, of which the expenditures to date are approximately $3.5M. The City of Somerville constructed a 10-jet splash pad/water play area, refurbished the playground structures and ground surfaces, repaved, and restriped the basketball courts, installed new site furniture, added shade structures for the baseball dugouts, and introduced an energy- efficient LED lighting system for the athletic fields. Significant pollinator vegetation has been planted, along with 64 new shade trees. Environmental education signage that addresses the site’s history and new pollinator and stormwater controls has been installed, and solar trash collection and recycling is imminent. This LWCF grant is administered through the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, via its Division of Conservation Services. The City of Somerville submitted a Land and Water Conservation Fund application for the Conway Park project during the Notice of Funding Opportunity window that ended on July 31, 2021. The funding approval from the National Park Service was delayed, however the City continued on with construction, and was granted a Waiver of Retroactivity. The project has now been completed, the park reopened, and City staff is coordinating with the contractor to complete final punch list items. We are grateful to receive this funding from the LWCF, and appreciate City Council’s attention to this matter. Thank you for your consideration. Respectfully submitted, Katjana Ballantyne Mayor