[Roberta Cameron]: Thank you. This is a meeting of Medford's Community Preservation Committee on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, 6.30pm, but actually it's 6.33pm. And I will call the roll. I see, Matthew? Here. Joan? Yes, here.
[Unidentified]: Heidi? Here. Christy?
[Roberta Cameron]: Doug?
[Unidentified]: Here.
[Roberta Cameron]: And Danielle? Here. Thank you all for being here and so on time as well. So for our agenda this evening, we're going to begin with, we're going to hold off on approving the meeting minutes because we don't have those ready yet. We'll have to pick up the meeting minutes next meeting. So the next on our agenda is project updates. Do you have some updates to share with us, Danielle?
[Danielle Evans]: I don't have anything prepared, I had actually had sent out some inquiries to some grantees for updates. Didn't hear back from most. I think maybe a lot of people are on vacation perhaps. Maybe Doug can help with the Brooks Estate with particularly the manor projects where those stands there's and some of the grounds as well, Some of our older grants are just kind of hanging out there. So we're just trying to figure out how to start closing out some of these projects.
[Doug Carr]: Danielle, which ones in particular are you referring to? There's a couple out there.
[Danielle Evans]: There's a lot out there. That's why it makes it so hard to track our projects.
[Roberta Cameron]: Let's pull up a map, and we can maybe do a lightning round. There's like 60 projects on the list. So why don't we do a lightning round, and we'll just say this project is completed. I'm struggling. I'm having Mac problems. OK, there we go. And I'm going to share. Can I share my screen, Danielle?
[Danielle Evans]: You should be able to. I made you a co-host.
[Unidentified]: share screen. All right.
[Roberta Cameron]: So I'm going to share this. And so the Medford move in project that's still ongoing.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, there just hasn't been any uptake. Okay. So we rented that extra year. So
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, so we're still waiting for that project to be taken up, because maybe people aren't aware of it, or the program guidelines haven't been, it hasn't been useful enough for people. But I want to go through these really quickly. So the ABCD rental assistance for Medford residents, that's done. Brooks Estate electrical upgrades, has that been completed?
[Adam Hurtubise]: No.
[Roberta Cameron]: No. Okay. So not even started or?
[Doug Carr]: I don't think so. I think they're getting bids right now. I don't think that hasn't gone to construction yet.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. The invasive plant removal phase two, was that completed?
[Doug Carr]: I think it was.
[Roberta Cameron]: No. I don't think it even started.
[Doug Carr]: Oh, that's phase one. I'm sorry. That's phase two. Yeah. Right.
[Roberta Cameron]: So phase two, plant removal hasn't started.
[Doug Carr]: I don't think for any of the 2021, we actually even have grant agreements right now.
[Roberta Cameron]: So we don't have grant agreements.
[Doug Carr]: I don't believe so. Tell me if I'm wrong, Danielle. I can't remember. That's Tom, not me.
[Danielle Evans]: I don't think so for all of them, but that doesn't mean that we We haven't had a city solicitor, so I parse them out when they're ready. And also the clock starts once they're signed.
[Adam Hurtubise]: I see.
[Danielle Evans]: I wasn't going to run up our legal fees reviewing documents. I was waiting for a city solicitor to be hired. Hopefully someone will be hired soon. But I just haven't. There's been no communication on these.
[Unidentified]: Got it.
[Danielle Evans]: We know we don't have in-house counsel to sign off on these, so I do them sparingly for projects that are ready to go.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah. So that goes for the landscape restoration as well. And the Port Cochere copper roof restoration?
[Doug Carr]: That was completed in that year, I think, or maybe early 2020. I think it was.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK. The restoration of interior rooms?
[Doug Carr]: I don't think so.
[Roberta Cameron]: And the stone wall restoration?
[Doug Carr]: There were three phases. The first two have been done. The third one, I believe, is starting in a couple of months with the spring.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK. The third floor trim restoration?
[Doug Carr]: That was done at the same time as the Port Cochere, I believe. So that's been a couple of years in the rear view mirror.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, so there was three projects that got combined.
[Doug Carr]: Right.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay, so that and those three projects that got combined, those have not been started yet. No, those are finished. Those are finished. Oh, okay. The wall restoration phase two is what we said finished. It was phase three that has finished.
[Doug Carr]: That's correct. Okay.
[Roberta Cameron]: Brooks estate access drive design that's to be finished. And that's on our like an expansion of the budget for tonight.
[Doug Carr]: Correct. And we're still waiting for the city to provide engineering information. We haven't got that from them yet, but I'm working on that.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. And so the plant removal, invasive plant removal phase one was completed, Danielle said. The restoration of the east entryway. That was part of the three projects that's completed. Okay.
[Danielle Evans]: And that's the one that got, one of the entryways got severed from the project and is part of the PB, Lupita D Montoya. PB, Lupita D Montoya. PB, Lupita D Montoya. PB, Lupita D Montoya.
[Roberta Cameron]: canceled the Brooks Estate trail restoration, canceled Harris Park design of phase two, canceled St. Clement's School and convent creation of affordable housing, Capon splash pad restoration. That has not yet started, but that was one that we just, that was held up due to the city solicitor not being able to
[Danielle Evans]: No, I think it was pacing it with our on-call consultants. So we have, Amanda's been running point on that with Warner Larson. And I think we have a contract with them, right? Or whatever it is we use with our on-calls.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, we have. So I'm working to set up a task order with them. We have a proposal.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK, so that's in progress.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, that has a grant. Ready to go.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. Car park design study. That's nearly completed. Completely. That's completely completed. Okay. Chevalier theater, ADA improvements that's completed or no.
[Danielle Evans]: No, they, um, they didn't get any responses to their RFP or whatever it was. Um, so I think they're, trying to figure that out.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. The air conditioning that was completed.
[Danielle Evans]: Yep.
[Roberta Cameron]: The window restoration was completed. Yep. Beside restoration, you can see they're working on it right now.
[Danielle Evans]: But they're not using CPA funds. Okay. And that might, they might need to come back and modify something. I have big Schrader who staffs that commission, reaching out to the Massachusetts Historic Commission, if that is, to make sure that what they want to change is, would meet the Department of Interior Standards. And I believe also he was gonna try to get it on the Historical Commission agenda because basically the, The facade, I guess it's in worse shape than they thought. So it can't be, I think they have to take it off completely. As far back as they can, because it's crumbling. And so the scope is changing a little bit. And so I guess the idea is that they would cut it back as far as they could, and then there'd be some kind of fiberglass replica. And that's what I am having them check. I see. So we haven't put any CPA funds into it. It's been related work, but nothing that CPA has paid for yet.
[Doug Carr]: Danielle, I don't think we had, they've come before us in a while. I don't think they were waiting on us to do anything in the historic commission. Is that correct?
[Danielle Evans]: I think, well, I asked them to consult with the commission because of the scope change and if what they're doing is appropriate or not.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Okay. We haven't seen anything in months.
[Danielle Evans]: It was last week that this was brought to my attention.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Got it. We met last night.
[Danielle Evans]: Oh, okay.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Sorry, it'll be next month.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, because I definitely want the blessing of the commission for anything that's going to- Sure.
[Roberta Cameron]: I might anticipate an off-cycle application for that in the future.
[Danielle Evans]: I don't think they need any money. It's not just a change. It would be, I think, the same amount of money.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK. I guess we should always be very cautious of the construction quality for mid-20th century buildings. Then the bocce courts, that's completed. Columbus.
[Danielle Evans]: Pretty much. OK. So the bocce courts, which it almost feels moot now because they're new. The one thing that was outstanding was the condition that city council had added for the, it was a maintenance security and some other matter agreement that they wanted. And the housing authority was trying to work with the city solicitor to hammer something out. And I think it just died on the vine.
[Heidi Davis]: And Roberta, I could also speak a little bit to, this is directly ties into the Riverside stormwater project as well. And so when we get to that, I can speak a little to the bocce court issue also.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. Um, so the David Osgood house that's completed, Dover Park benches, that is still on hold. Maybe we ought to think about canceling that project unless there's a group of students who are prepared to come back with it.
[Danielle Evans]: Well, they bought the benches and they bought the paint.
[Roberta Cameron]: Oh, okay.
[Danielle Evans]: But then their advisor changed. So they're on like a new group of students because of COVID and kids in the school. after years, and they were really confident that they could revive the project. I need to get an update from the new advisor, the last advisor. He was one of the teachers, was really working to move it forward. And I don't know the other, the new person, what priority it is or what else is on their plate. Okay.
[Roberta Cameron]: Duggar Park tennis courts. That's finished. Okay. Fire station roof restoration. That's nearing completion. Fire station window rehabilitation. I would really like to revisit this project because I have a strong suspicion that some of the fire stations that we funded the window, the design for restoration of the windows, they've just gone ahead and replaced the windows.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah. So I asked for an update. There's nothing. There's no money has been touched.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Danielle Evans]: I did reach out to Nina. to get an update, but I haven't heard back yet. I'm probably in the queue for responses. I think she's still digging out from maternity leave.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah.
[Danielle Evans]: Gillis Park improvements. That was that was the backstop.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, that was completed, except that there was the study that we asked for, which essentially morphed into the next study that we funded.
[Danielle Evans]: Right.
[Roberta Cameron]: So, and the master plan is completed.
[Danielle Evans]: Yep.
[Roberta Cameron]: And we have, you know, assembling the funding to implement grace Episcopal church exterior door restoration, and that was completed. Yep. Grove street wall restoration.
[Danielle Evans]: Don't believe that started yet.
[Roberta Cameron]: They were having trouble finding a contractor for that. I think they put that out to bid.
[Danielle Evans]: I don't know about that one, because they had the same person that they were using for the first two phases.
[Roberta Cameron]: Oh, right. Yeah, so this was from... This was from... Oh, this is the Brooks Estate wall, not the... I was thinking that this was the... So Brooks Estate wall is the one that is ongoing now?
[Adam Hurtubise]: That's correct.
[Roberta Cameron]: The historical commissions or... No, this is the Brooks Estate, and this is the one that's ongoing right now, the last phase of the Brooks Estate Stonewall. Harris Park Rehabilitation Phase 1 was completed. Hickey Park Canopy Gathering Area.
[Danielle Evans]: We still need a picnic table and a pad for it.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Danielle Evans]: DPW was supposed to do that part, but I think this is coming down the staff capacity. Yeah, do it.
[Roberta Cameron]: Hickey Park, tennis, basketball. So we have. That's the third Hickey Park project. It would be nice if they're going to do work in Hickey Park if they could just. What's the Hickey Park tennis basket? Oh, is it Hickey Park that there is the dugout dugout?
[Danielle Evans]: But that's a completely different project initiated by softball.
[Roberta Cameron]: All right.
[Danielle Evans]: This is this.
[Roberta Cameron]: Oh, this one was just last year, is that on? Yes.
[Danielle Evans]: I believe they have the vendor in the contract. It came in astronomical. Because of everything, supply chain, inflation, cost of asphalt, yada, yada, yada. So ARPA is going to make up the shortfall for that. And that work should start in spring. OK, it was seen as maybe appropriate.
[Roberta Cameron]: So maybe they can do both at the same time. If they're going to be working on the tennis and basketball court, they could finish that canopy gathering area.
[Danielle Evans]: Oh, that Hickey Park one.
[Roberta Cameron]: That's what it is.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, I wonder if we could Scrape up some money or something if it's not going to be DPW, because DPW is not doing the courts.
[Roberta Cameron]: Hormel Hockey Rink Rehabilitation, has that started?
[Danielle Evans]: I didn't get any responses to the, when they put it out to bid, I believe Kevin is circling back with procurement to figure out next steps, because I think they were, I don't know why that the vendor that keeps responding to the other resurfacing projects, why they didn't put a bid in for that.
[Roberta Cameron]: housing families pro bono legal services program that's the same as the program that they're applying for now do they complete the previous round.
[Danielle Evans]: um so they did give us a little bit of that little presentation. When they came. it's not all they have not come back asking for a final disbursement so.
[Roberta Cameron]: There's still a little bit of money left in that.
[Danielle Evans]: There must be money left.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah. And so they had asked for two grants totaling $30,000 previously for that program. Yeah. LaPree Village natural gas conversion, that's completed. Yep. Markey Memorial restoration, that was completed. McGlynn Elementary School playground, COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" study that was completed and that's what we have a proposal to implement this time mcnally Community garden expansion has that gone forward.
[Danielle Evans]: COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" Oh yeah that finished them while back. COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" Oh wow. COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" Like locked Oh, wait a minute. COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" But now it's finished that's finished yeah. COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" Okay, I don't know if they have their sign up so I gave them a sign.
[Roberta Cameron]: COB, Jean Gatza, Moderator she-her, herself:" Okay. One day, someone will have time to go out and check all of our signs. In fact, Chevalier Theater, I was there for the organ concert last week. There is not a sign installed inside the building anywhere. So we had those beautiful signs to install inside of buildings, and they said they would do it. We should give one to them. And the Historical Society electrical upgrades, Did they ever complete that they were having trouble finding a contractor for that weren't they or is a different project.
[Danielle Evans]: that's the HPC this one. I have this down, this is. This is complete this is done.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay, the preserving their textile collections that's completed. So rehabilitating the HVAC system, they still had some outstanding task items that they couldn't find a contractor to do.
[Unidentified]: I think it was.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah.
[Danielle Evans]: Because there's so many now that I don't, I used to be able to have these on the top of my head. So I actually have to. Yeah, that's okay.
[Roberta Cameron]: We don't need details right now. One day we can go back and revisit all these, but for now we'll just take the quick version. The library history room, that's completed. In fact, that's a beautiful picture of it right here. I don't know if you can see that. That's the members of the Historical Commission going through documents so that they can store them properly in the history room. That's posted on our Facebook page. If you haven't seen our Facebook page, you should go check it out. Where were we? Medford Library, optimizing the exterior space. That's completed, it looks lovely. Except that I wish that you had better internet service, like that you could buy into the library wifi, because I've sat there a few times trying to use the wifi and it's kind of on the edge of.
[Danielle Evans]: I think there could be some feedback you can give.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah. Memorial Park concession stand equipment storage. I've seen that they demolished the old one, so that's progress, but they haven't.
[Danielle Evans]: They have a grant agreement. I think Amanda is sort of keeping track of that one.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, it's on my list. I haven't heard back from Bill on the status of that, but they did remove the existing stand. And now that we have the agreement in place, we can set up the vendor that they have to getting the work done. I think their intention was for completion in early spring.
[Roberta Cameron]: Great. North Riverbend Park remediation. That was completed. Phases one and two. Oak Grove Cemetery landscape.
[Danielle Evans]: That's another one that's been hanging out for a long time. And that was initiated by the historical commission. And I want to say that they ended up having the tree survey and the tree survey, which is completed and was supposed to inform some changes or plans for the landscape. Rehabilitation. But I really don't know what's going on with that. Now that this tree survey just finished up in the fall, like a month ago.
[Roberta Cameron]: So I just want to get the stakeholders down. The Landscape Rehabilitation was initiated by the Historical Commission. The Tree Survey, was that initiated by the Historical Commission or Trees Medford? Trees Medford. Okay. So Trees Medford is helping that project by doing the Tree Survey. And neither of those are with the Cemetery Commission.
[Danielle Evans]: No, they don't, they don't seem to be involved with that.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. Then the cemetery commission, um, commission or got funding for the garage study last year. Has that gone anywhere yet?
[Danielle Evans]: I think that they were trying to get quotes. Um, I need to get an update on where that stands.
[Unidentified]: Okay.
[Danielle Evans]: As we were getting bogged down, um, trying to get the. bid documents out for the bigger project. Yeah, we'll talk about next.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK, then the Oak Grove Cemetery Memorial Restoration.
[Danielle Evans]: So we needed assistance from. Daedalus, who did the study and prepared the report to get us documents To so anything is it's not to put it out. It's not an RFP it's a. I have. invitation.
[Unidentified]: I have the.
[Danielle Evans]: yeah. So it. Originally, we thought we could do this as an RFP where. There could be some yes subjectivity because it's not. I wouldn't consider it a public works project, but I guess in the eyes of the state, it is. So we needed to have very, very tight qualifications that we could point to so that we make sure that we don't have to take the lowest bidder who might not be qualified because it's, there's so much nuance to doing a project like this. And none of us knew how to make sure that that would be appropriate and you would get responses from qualified folks to do that. And so we got all the specifications That was last week we got them. And so procurement is going to put it all together and hopefully get that out.
[Unidentified]: OK. Great. And the study was completed.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes.
[Roberta Cameron]: In project playground surfacing at Tufts Cape and in Cummings Parks, that was completed, but they have never come back to restore the sandboxes that we included as a condition. Yeah. Playstead Park basketball court. That's complete. Okay. River Bend Community Gardens fence improvements that's completed. Riverside stormwater improvements, Heidi.
[Heidi Davis]: The Medford Housing Authority is undertaking renovations to the Saltonstall building there. And as part of that, they're expanding a parking lot. Because they're expanding the parking lot, they need to meet mass stormwater standards. And so they actually undertook the design and permitting of this project, which the Conservation Commission approved last week. There'll be a significant amount of native shrubs as part of this, about 60, two different stormwater infiltration basins, And so the design meets the intent of the original application, but I don't know what, how the money is handled at all.
[Danielle Evans]: Well, who were they, was the housing authority going to use these funds?
[Heidi Davis]: I don't know.
[Danielle Evans]: I don't think so. I think that we just, I think we can just cancel the project and make this available for other
[Roberta Cameron]: I put a question mark next to that because they may be aware that the funding was available and they may have factored. I would hold on to this and not make it available to other projects yet. We don't have to offer it to them, but if they ask for it, we might just give a grace period and have the funds available.
[Heidi Davis]: They do know that it's available. And they did actually change their design to meet the intent of the application.
[Roberta Cameron]: OK. So they may be expecting to come back and use this money.
[Heidi Davis]: I'm pretty sure they are. Yeah.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah.
[Heidi Davis]: So we don't want to cancel it. And it didn't go out to RFP, I believe, because it's under $50,000. Is that correct?
[Roberta Cameron]: So yeah, it could be three bids.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Or three quotes, I mean. But it wouldn't have to be an RFP.
[Roberta Cameron]: But if they did this as part of the design that they were already doing, I guess that would. You know, the process is different but they end up with a project that meets the criteria that we provide.
[Heidi Davis]: The project as it was initially proposed did not, I feel, meet the intent and so it was, there was revisions along the way that the commission approved last week.
[Roberta Cameron]: And the other thing that we started to mention earlier, and I don't know if we completed the sentence, was that the housing authority, as part of the plan to make improvements to salt install and expand the parking lot, they're planning to move the botchy court that we paid for the installation of. So I don't know where they're going to find the funding from to do that, but they're gonna do that at their expense. So moving on, Roberts Elementary School playground surfacing that was completed. Royal House and Slave Quarters roof and chimney restoration that was completed. Royal House and Slave Quarters window restoration was completed. Thomas Brooks Park and Old Slave Wall rehab plan, the plan was completed. HAB-Juliette Boone, COB): Thomas brooks park master plan implementation phase one that we could use an update on if you know what's going on.
[Danielle Evans]: HAB-Juliette Boone, COB.: : Of the implementation yeah. HAB-Juliette Boone, COB.: : Well, we had they had come back for the extra money to do the wall, the field stone wall.
[Unidentified]: HAB-Juliette Boone, COB.:
[Danielle Evans]: : And. HAB-Juliette Boone, COB.: : I don't know. if that work started or not, but they had contractor and they had an agreement. Okay.
[Doug Carr]: Danielle, are you talking about the stone wall for Thomas Wicksburg?
[Danielle Evans]: Yes.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yes.
[Doug Carr]: I just texted Jen at the state commission. She said she's waiting for confirmation from the vendor because they got a price from the vendor, but it was a long time ago because of the time it took to get the the finance department to look at things, you know, you know about that obviously. So if they can still hold that price, that will proceed. But I think they're still waiting for that confirmation from the vendor who they got a quote from.
[Unidentified]: Okay, it's in August.
[Roberta Cameron]: So moving on, the pre-development and early construction for the Medford Community Housing, three units on Bellsway West.
[Danielle Evans]: So the pre-development work is, that's completed.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yes.
[Danielle Evans]: And then this, the early construction tasks, that OK, so that OK, so OK, I see you merge that. So that's the two. Funding. Approvals there and. Nothing is happening because. They weren't able to their contractor that they selected was not able to get a bond. So they. We're trying to find someone else, but it's hanging out. They closed on their home funds and their loan from Century or Eastern. I can't remember who acquired who. So they have all their funding in place. It purely was the contractor who couldn't get a bond and they misrepresented themselves apparently. So you might have to sue them or something. The contract doesn't have any of our money.
[Roberta Cameron]: So nothing's been spent from that. That project is on hold until they can sort out their problems.
[Danielle Evans]: They might lose their home funding if they can't move forward, in which case the project's dead.
[Roberta Cameron]: So that's potentially 600,000 that may come back to that. Well, it won't necessarily all go back to housing. Part of that was earmarked for housing and part of it came from undesignated. And then trees, Medford.
[Unidentified]: That's the park park.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, park planting. I've seen trees planted in parks around, but I don't know if this has been completely spent down or if they still have some trees left to plant.
[Danielle Evans]: So I don't have 1000 was transferred out of this to finish off the tree inventory. Planting and parks. They still have that they still have like about a little over $10,000. Okay.
[Roberta Cameron]: All right, the Tufts pool replaced concrete pool deck and installed mushroom in the waiting pool. What's the status on that?
[Danielle Evans]: I don't think that's finished yet, but it's ongoing. Yeah, yeah. It's the last the last day the pool was open. They completely they got right to work. They demoed the pool deck and we're getting straight to work. And that was one that also went in. The bids came back in way higher. So ARPA closed the gap on that one.
[Roberta Cameron]: Great. So then Walkman Court, pre-design, that's ongoing right now. Rights Pond aeration system.
[Danielle Evans]: So that one is supposed to happen after you finish the Tufts but apparently they might not need it because it could have been a water sampling issue that they weren't sampling properly because there weren't any high bacteria levels. Last year there were no closures, so it's possible that they don't actually need to do this. In which case, it could come back. Rice Pond also got that significant earmark from the state with ARPA funds. And so I was floating the idea of, can you guys use that money instead if you need to do this project? Because those funds have to be spent at Rice Pond, whereas our money does not have to be spent at Pikes Pond.
[Roberta Cameron]: And then we did the rice pond beautification and installation. Those are both completed? Yeah. Great. This is a lot of work that we've done in the last five years, guys. And I really hope that this year we might be able to throw ourselves a party, or next year. A five years of CPA funding party. I mean, it could be all over the city. This would be something great to celebrate, but it also the reason I wanted to go through all of this is because it will help to inform our discussion about the projects that we're funding looking forward. Think it might help us to think about where we if we have to ask some of these projects to wait a year. the information that we've just gathered about the projects that are in progress may help us to think about that. So next.
[Unidentified]: I'm sorry.
[Joan Cyr]: I said, can I ask a question about that? Yes. So when you say ask somebody to wait a year, are you asking for them to reapply the next year and get equal consideration as other applicants or are you saying we can't fund this year but we'll recommend funding next year?
[Roberta Cameron]: We cannot recommend funding for the next year so we would ask them we I think we'd ask them to come back and ask again next year. We might allow you know We could come up with a couple, we could handle that in a couple of different ways. We could request that they do the application process all over again. They can recycle all the material from their last application into a new one. Or I think there are some communities, CPA communities out there who will actually like, they have a system where they rank projects and the lowest ranked projects that they can't fund this year. get bumped to next year as is, like they don't have to resubmit their application. They're just automatically in the queue for the next year unless they ask to withdraw. So we can think about if we end up having to go the route of not funding projects that we'd like to see come back, we can think about how to make that invitation. Um, so then the next item on the agenda is to talk about what, um, how much funding is available this year. Danielle, do you want to, I'll stop sharing the screen and Danielle, you can.
[Joan Cyr]: Danielle looks like she's on a green handset.
[Danielle Evans]: Oh, it's a stress ball. It comes in handy. Let's see, let me find.
[Unidentified]: Amanda, thank you for your desk. I'm glad it's getting used. OK, I'm going to share my screen here. Can you guys see that?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yep.
[Unidentified]: So this is what I spend most of Saturday on.
[Danielle Evans]: From the last couple or the last two fiscal years have not been turned over, rolled over, so I had to go through. I went through all fiscal years of the transactions. That is like Greek to me because I don't speak accounting.
[Unidentified]: It's confusing.
[Danielle Evans]: But these numbers represent the totals that are my best guess, because I don't have FY22 numbers in the DOR portal. of the actual certified funds. So I'm still going by the estimate, which is what I believe was collected. I don't have access to it. So this was the 1.6 was what came in from CPA surcharges, which was the estimate. So it could be higher. And then the match was $669,656. So this was my best guess of the FY22 funds, which is the way that we do our funding rounds is for our calendar year funding cycle, we use the fiscal year. So for calendar year 22 funding cycle, we're using our fiscal 22 funds. So those came in, stopped being collected at the end of June. So we have our FY 23 funds have been coming in since July, and we have a match that already came in, which would be available for next year. So I kept out the FY 23 money completely, so not to confuse So these are our reserve accounts that we had set up over the years. And then the, I went through and found the actual admin that was spent because whatever doesn't get spent goes, gets available for projects. So I, Get that out. see here.
[Adam Hurtubise]: So.
[Roberta Cameron]: Could you zoom in on this screen, so we can.
[Danielle Evans]: I have such a hard time knowing what. What is what it looks like. So our. And hopefully these are low-ball estimates because it doesn't take into account some scraps here and there. I just used what was formally appropriated and rescinded. So an open space, I believe there's a little over 220,000 in that reserve. Housing was higher than I thought, was about $570,000 in that reserve. But I do need to get this verified. Roberta, you're squinting. Is it still too small? Yes.
[Matt Leming]: Roberta, are you making it full screen? You could make it full screen.
[Roberta Cameron]: It is full screen.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: I see it. I see it OK, but I stare at Excel all day long. So maybe it's just me.
[Danielle Evans]: That's better. And so historic is where I would expect it to be because we had made the $100,000 Chevrolet facade restoration off cycle where we reached forward and used historic money. So this is basically 100,000 off the top of the bucket. And then the general reserve is the remainder and everything that rolled over a little over 1.3 million. So for a total of 2,262,000 available to make awards with. So it's very close to what our Allocation 2.2 million 287, which was my guess of collected so. Because we did we did reach forward and sorry for the scrolling. When we made the awards last year, there were some assumptions of remaining funds in some project that weren't correct. There were a couple projects that we thought were finished. And then the surprise invoices came in from the contractors like six months later. We thought that they were done. So little, you know, punch list things. So those were surprise invoices. And we had already decided that that money could be reprogrammed. So, but it wasn't, it wasn't a lot of money. Just just enough to have us dip down a little bit. So.
[Matt Leming]: Just to, as the newest member, just to simplify it for me, I have a spreadsheet with like just all of the requested amounts for this current cycle. And this says 2.26 million. So should we basically be looking to spend a total of 2.26 million on the current projects? And is that how this works?
[Danielle Evans]: Well, You don't ever have to fund a bad project just because the money is there. We're just supposed to spend or set aside 10% for each program area. So if the projects weren't good, then you can bank it. You don't have to spend it down. There's CPCs in different communities that always leave a good cushion for off-cycle applications or know, projects that come back needing more money, things like that, you know, banking, what we had been doing with housing was really banking a lot of the money, because it just takes so much more money to do a housing project. And, you know, they come in, they don't come in every year, they usually take some time together. So this is a policy decision that you guys would make.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah.
[Unidentified]: Thank you.
[Roberta Cameron]: Are there other questions about the budget? I mean, the available funds? All right, so finally comes a really difficult part of our evening, which is to begin a discussion about what projects to fund. And so I'm going to share my screen again. And let's see. I have a list of projects and I've and have set up a calculation that can show us how much money is available and we can figure out where to begin to matched, you can see at the bottom, the total requests this year are $3 million to what Danielle just told us, the total available funds are about $2.2 million. And if we start to look at exactly how much funds are available in each of the program areas, I didn't get what the general amount was.
[Danielle Evans]: I did get it. I just write it down. OK. All right.
[Roberta Cameron]: So maybe we could begin with just maybe some of you all can put out some. Actually, I'm going to take that back. I'm going to start with just a couple of updates on the The McGlynn Playground and the Walkland Court. These are the two biggest projects and the ones we've been doing behind the scenes some homework to try to understand or figure out ways that we can spread the load a little bit so that we aren't as burdened with these two projects so that we can be able to maintain some capacity to fund other things. So with respect to the McGlynn Playground, we met last week with members of the design team, the school department, and the planning department to think about what are some options for funding the McGlynn playground. Danielle, did I send you the document? Let me stop this share for a moment.
[Danielle Evans]: I might have some emails come in.
[Roberta Cameron]: I can find it quickly. I can just get it from a sent email.
[Unidentified]: There we go. I will share again.
[Roberta Cameron]: All right, so just very quickly the McGlynn school. We looked at whether other sources of funding might be available and they are looking to fund a total $2.5 million project and are already taking into consideration. So in addition to the CPA funding, they're also requesting, although have not yet, don't yet have a commitment, but they're requesting funds from ARPA and CDBG. In this funding, they're holding by the $900,000 request, total request from CPA so that they can try to make up the balance from these other city funding sources. But they may be able to break the project in over two fiscal years. Their goal is to go into construction in the summer between the school years so that the playground will be ready to use when the next school year opens. So in order to make that goal, they need to be able to front load construction as much as possible. And they're looking to put a little bit, They're looking to front load the project as much as possible, but they may be able to take some of the funding after the start of the fiscal year after July one to be able to complete the project. they might be able to split the CPA request into two tranches as shown on this schedule with receiving 500,000 now if we would give them 400,000 as soon as the new fiscal year passes. So first of all, we cannot commit to give them that $400,000 ahead of time, it would be, you know, our best intentions and goodwill that we will give them the $400,000 when they come back and ask for it later. And we would, I think, be able, we'll be looking to make this commitment in a very short time frame. So we would probably receive their application maybe in May at that point and make a recommendation in May to go to City Council as soon as possible after July 1 to fund out of the FY 24 revenue. And then that would be reaching forward into FY 24 revenue, reducing what's available next year, but it would reduce the burden this year.
[Joan Cyr]: So getting an off-cycle application from them for the second half?
[Roberta Cameron]: Exactly, that's what the plan would be if we wanted to go that route with that project.
[Joan Cyr]: Can you talk about the other one?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yes, so the other one is more difficult. I mean, we don't have an answer today, but let me remember how to share the screen again so I can bring up my spreadsheet. Sorry, I have to find my spreadsheet and then I can bring it up.
[Unidentified]: There we go.
[Roberta Cameron]: Does that bring up the spreadsheet? You see that, okay. So walk on court. The maximum amount that we could give them, they asked for $800,000. The max that we actually could give them is $740,909 because of the cap on the share of funding that we can give them at this stage. This is for pre-development. We have met with a state organization called CDAP. whose role is to help provide gap financing for affordable housing projects across the state. So they have the ability to essentially borrow money themselves to be able to contribute to affordable housing projects. So CDAC money comes with financing costs, which would, change the budget somewhat for projects that are expecting to go through without financing costs. But it does help provide another option. And if I can remember correctly, Danielle, so CDAC is exploring some different scenarios by which they could help to front money for this, for the pre-development needs for this project. that would enable us to offer some combination of CPA and ARPA money toward this project, maybe even CDBG money toward this project. But first, CDAC needs to work with the housing authority to decide on what the best strategy is that CDAC can help the housing authority. And then they can have a better understanding of exactly what the ask is and how they would use the money that we give them.
[Joan Cyr]: So- What's the process timeline for that?
[Roberta Cameron]: I asked them to please have an answer by our January meeting so that we can be able to complete our entire slate of funding recommendations. So we have a big question mark next to Walkland Court.
[Danielle Evans]: There's just so many different ways that you could do this. Like ideally, pre-development would be like in my ideal situation, it would be in the form of a forgivable loan, because we're going to have to, if we don't get all of the new units, this number is derived from how many new units we would get, we would have to claw back funds. If they, if we didn't get all of those numbers, because they still have to get approved by zoning board and all that.
[Matt Leming]: How often does it happen that just in affordable housing development that the sought after number of units ends up being cut in the final plans? Like, is that something that happens a lot?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yes, it happens a lot typically because In the permitting process, the city very often negotiates down the number of units. This doesn't happen in Medford a lot, just because we don't have affordable housing in Medford very much. But in other communities, the permitting process often results in negotiating down the total number of units because of neighbor complaints about density.
[Danielle Evans]: If height or parking, all the different impacts And then, at least with market rate ones, especially even with inclusionary units, they often get scaled down.
[Adam Hurtubise]: It's not conceivable.
[Roberta Cameron]: So definitely, I think that's like, that's a great suggestion that we would want to have, whatever we give walk-in court should be, especially for pre-development, should be structured as a forgivable loan. And we may be able to do that with CDAC. It may be that CDAC offers them the forgivable loan and we could maybe add some money for, to repay the interest on that loan.
[Danielle Evans]: To manage the loan for us, because we don't have the, ability to review benchmarks and make sure everything's correct.
[Roberta Cameron]: Also provide technical support to us.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: My question to you, Roberta, is do housing go through CDAC themselves or is this something that you and CDAC, the CPA and CDAC work with housing together?
[Roberta Cameron]: we'd work together. So what I think will happen is that CDAC will negotiate with the housing authority to figure out what is the best way that the housing authority can meet its needs, and what resources CDAC can give them. And then And then they can come like they can work together to develop a better proposal, the best proposal for the city to be able to respond to. And at that point, we can look at the different funding sources that are available to the city and figure out how much to commit out of each of those funding sources.
[Doug Carr]: Yeah, it's just a comment about the McGlynn playground project, which is not a comment about the validity or whether it should be fun or not. But I'm a little disturbed that all the money for the project is grant money, whether it's CPC, CDBG, or American Rescue Plan. There's not a single budgetary dollar in that project that I see. Is that correct?
[Roberta Cameron]: At the moment, yes, and one of the questions that I raised when we met a couple weeks ago was why we don't consider bonding for major school playground projects. And right now, there is a good reason for that which is that the city has a couple of major build facilities projects that are ahead of us in the near future. And it's too much of a risk right now to take up our bond capacity for small projects like this, that we want to preserve the bond capacity for the large projects. And maybe future playground projects might be a candidate to roll into a larger capital improvement budget. This project is kind of coming at a time when the capacity is not available for that.
[Danielle Evans]: But we could very likely have used linkage. But we don't, we wanted to.
[Roberta Cameron]: Linkage is best to use for the unexpected circumstances. And so we didn't want to program linkage funds ahead of time in the budget.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah. So like that later phase, like if we, come up short?
[Roberta Cameron]: Or in the early phase, if we come up short, because we have to probably purchase equipment and materials months ahead of time because of the lag time for installation right now. So if the other funding sources aren't available for that purpose, we might be able to use linkage for that as well.
[Doug Carr]: But you understand my logic point is the city. I mean, we asked the last meeting, I think that we'd want to see some context for the city's budget for all of these projects on an annual basis. Like, you know, where is that money being spent? What's the total budget? I just, it bothers, you know, a lot of people, a lot of applications try to bring some money, not just a hundred percent grant money, but, but their own money, you know, the city tax money to projects to have I guess, more skin in the game, if you will, versus, I don't know, it's just a, putting together a bunch of grants is, I mean, at some level it makes sense, but it is obviously a huge ask that is, you know, what is it, 30, 40% of the total budget? I mean, it's a big number.
[Roberta Cameron]: It is a big number. And, you know, it's, can't lose sight of the fact that Well, I mean, just when we did hear last meeting that they're beginning to develop a capital, like a plan for funding capital projects, like small capital projects going forward with the schools, but it wasn't done up until now. So they're now beginning to implement better practices with respect to capital planning. And right now we're at this point of having to catch up on the lack of planning for since these schools were created. But the other thing to just keep in mind is that money for capital improvements out of the city's general fund budget is competing with money for salaries out of the city's general fund budget. And we see how the discussion is right now with salaries for school teachers. So I think, you know, it would be a difficult hill for us to die on right now to say that we want to see them put, you know, money into this project that could be coming out of grants.
[Danielle Evans]: Do we have the millionaire tax or whatever it's called that will be going towards education and I think it was transportation were the two eligible I wonder, would that ever be able to trickle down for physical plant kind of projects, or was it?
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: I thought the line was pretty strict on that, that it was for education and for transportation.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, so I wasn't sure if it was like educational, like programming, salaries, or if it could go towards the infrastructure, like building a school or playgrounds, like the actual
[Matt Leming]: I'm inclined to think that was in Medford, particularly with all like the teacher salary issues, there would be much more inclined to put that towards salaries before they would play grounds.
[Danielle Evans]: So like, eventually, I mean, this is going to be an ongoing stream, like, hopefully, it would increase our budget all around.
[Roberta Cameron]: And I don't know if you noticed on the sheet that I had projected previously there was a note at the bottom that they're also looking into private fundraising for this talking with the library fundraising committee to see if they can follow their example for raising private funds to supplement city. So that's all the updates that I have on this. I feel as though for now we're going, we will not be able to make a decision tonight. We won't be able to make a decision, a final decision until we have a budget for Walklingport. But I wanted to begin a discussion about all of the projects. Maybe we could go one by one through the projects on the list. to determine, I mean to see where the committee members lean in terms of which projects are priorities to fund. So let's begin.
[Matt Leming]: Does that include the two projects that we just talked about or are you talking about every other project?
[Roberta Cameron]: That includes the two projects. So Walkland Court, we don't know yet what this number is going to end up as in the end. Maybe we could begin with this number tonight as we put together some scenarios and see where we land. Or I could leave it out and we see. I mean, if we just leave that one project out, Oh, shoot, that doesn't work.
[Unidentified]: It should work.
[Adam Hurtubise]: OK. I was trying to control our.
[Unidentified]: Look at the total.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Oh, there we go.
[Roberta Cameron]: So. This is without that project, we just about fund everything. But an affordable housing project, it's just such a high priority project that we don't want to not fund that. So taking that, I would not advocate to take that project off the table.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Do you know if there's shovel in the ground next year? Are they definitely doing something in 23? Or can this be looked at next year for 24?
[Roberta Cameron]: This is a shovel in the ground project. They have a deadline to spend state funds for this project.
[Danielle Evans]: And they needed so they need to stay from us. The other the other thing was. Was it September or what was the deadline?
[Roberta Cameron]: I think it was September to have a commitment of all of the pre-development funds and maybe to have a commitment of four million. So that's the other thing that's hanging out here that's not reflected is that they're really looking for 2.4 million altogether, which I would personally be amenable to bonding the full 2.4 million that they need, but we can't bond for pre-development. Bonding is for construction.
[Matt Leming]: Well, wasn't the rest of the 2.4 million after the first 800,000 for construction?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yes. So the remainder could be bonded after this amount, but this is the amount that can't be bonded.
[Matt Leming]: Right. Yeah, I personally, and I've said this at previous meetings, would be very inclined to fund Walklein Court, even if it is the biggest chunk other than maybe McGlynn Playground, just because I think it's long-term very necessary. That's me.
[Jenny Graham]: I agree with that. I look at it too, but it already has like other funding commitment too. And it has a very positive impact.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, I don't think there's a question of whether we want to fund it. We're not speaking for the committee, but it's like, what is the smartest way to do it? To get them the money, the commitment that they want, because we can't, we can't promise the 1.6 to them.
[Matt Leming]: Because we don't, yeah, there's that weird issue about the letter that they needed to give to like the government, like.
[Adam Hurtubise]: I mean, is that like an absolute necessity? That letter.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, they need a commitment letter to be able to get all of the rest of the funding that they need for the project.
[Danielle Evans]: So they need all of their funding sources committed. It doesn't it doesn't have to be 2.4 from CPA. They just have to fill that 2.4 somewhere.
[Joan Cyr]: What's to stop them from submitting an off-cycle application right now for future funding?
[Roberta Cameron]: What I would prefer to see them do is like right now it's still very fuzzy how much they actually need from us. And on the side, they're asking for our money too. And it's fuzzy whether they're asking for our money in case they don't get CPA money, or do they want our money in addition to CPA money. And that's why I would like them to work with CDAC to come up with one clear picture that they can bring to the city, and then we can put like our heads together with a proposal from the city of CPA, ARPA, home funds, CDBG funds, And we know what we're like, what package we propose to give them and then come to the, to the CPC and ask the CPC to recommend the CPA portion of that. I hope that they can do that in January.
[Danielle Evans]: It does feel very piecemeal. And, you know, the fact that, you know, they submitted a request to ARPA and the budget is different, um, what they need to, you know, what The whole, they need to plug for pre-development, because originally when they submitted their EDF, the 2.4 they wanted was all pre-development. We're like, well, we can't do that. And they shipped money around, and that got it down to 800. So they submitted the application for the 800 for the pre-development, but we still can't do that much because we can only fund new units. We can't fund the replacement units. But then they were asking, I think the two point, how much was it that they submitted to ARPA was a big number for pre-development. So it's confusing because the budget changed, the sources and uses is significantly different. And we talk to each other, we need to, it's all city money in the end and we all need to be on the same page and making sure that We're smart about where we target money because some has to be spent quickly. Some can only be used for certain things. So you want to make sure that you're making sure your money is as flexible as possible. I think definitely the administration and our office supports this project. We're just trying to figure out the mechanism to fulfill their complete dollar ask within the confines of how we can commit funds because the way that they, the request is not how we can legally commit funds.
[Unidentified]: Mosa.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: Thank you for acknowledging. I believe the reason why the housing, you know, from my being on the board, from what I can understand, I could understand that that was related to us. was, I'm not really speaking for them, but I'm speaking for what I understood, that the reason be how they axed the 800,000 and they break it down instead of axing for a whole lonesome at one time and just break it down per, you know, like per year and so forth. To my understanding, that's the reason why they, you know, it was come breaking down to 800,000 per, I guess, per year they was coming to ask. That's what I understand. Maybe I'm wrong.
[Danielle Evans]: No, that's our understanding too. But unfortunately, that's not how CPA works. We can only commit funds that we have, or we can bond. So you can't ask for three years of funding, or you can't ask, we can't recommend it be appropriate and go to city council. Well, I understand that. For the two future years, because they need the commitment by September, and the next two funding cycles wouldn't even happen yet. So that doesn't, unfortunately, the funds don't work that way.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: I think this is where the misunderstood went in, that not knowing that they cannot ask for pre, you know, a year ahead. So, and this is where the fuzz came in between. So there's something that could be worked out.
[Roberta Cameron]: So maybe we can talk about some of the other projects on the horizon. Do we have like what, what are the, are there any other projects that people feel like they would consider in this funding scenario column, would we consider reducing or eliminating projects this funding round? If, you know, I mean, this is all depending on what happens with the Walkland court in January.
[Heidi Davis]: Nothing against pickleball, of course, and I don't want to offend any pickleball players here. I'm just kind of curious as to why it's so expensive, $400,000 for the pickleball courts, and can they possibly do any fundraising on their own?
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: What was spent to do the pickleball courts at Duggar that just opened?
[Joan Cyr]: I don't think it was 400. Those were restriped tennis courts. This is a completely from the ground up build as part of the car park. So they're building brand new pickleball courts just for pickleball.
[Roberta Cameron]: No, but at Duggar Park, they rebuilt the tennis court from the ground up.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they ripped that up. That was right down to earth. And they poured, essentially, new courts, two of them side by side. So I'm just wondering how this came out to $402,000. We've done a lot of basketball courts in the two or three years I've been with you all. And I don't think any of them have a full basketball court. I don't think any of them have $400,000. Is it more than one court?
[Jenny Graham]: I would have to be right for sports. Okay, there we go to like to, I think like to basketball courts, maybe.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: So, are we looking at 100,000 per court because that's that's a place we could go ask for concessions.
[Danielle Evans]: Well, the thing is, is that this, this is, I don't know if Amanda's.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Can we have two courts for $201,000? And that puts $200,000 back.
[Matt Leming]: This was a conversation that we kind of had when they gave the presentation. There was some conversation about having six courts, but they seemed to preempt that pretty solidly by saying that usually in the places that they did play pickleball, even when they had four courts, they were very They're almost always full, so they seem to be pretty sure that four courts was a minimum for them.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Can we offer them funding this year and funding next year? Is that a possibility?
[Roberta Cameron]: I don't think we can build half of it. I mean, I'm sure that these courts are going to be on one surface, so we can't build half of a surface this year and half of a surface next year.
[Matt Leming]: Yeah, no.
[Jenny Graham]: Why isn't, why aren't these courts put into the funding for like the whole car park, like restoration projects?
[Danielle Evans]: It is, this is just like a phase of it. Yeah. So this was, that's a huge project. You've got millions of dollars and other funds that are coming brought to this project. And it made sense that we just have a discreet portion of the park to come to CPA rather than be like, hey, can you fund 9% of park or whatever? I'm just completely making that number up. So it's like, okay, let's pick a discrete part of the project that can happen sooner. I think it includes some other infrastructure that would also service other parts of the park. I think water, I think, and electrical. So it's not just stuff that would be pickleball courts, I believe.
[Jenny Graham]: What if they shave off those parts? Well, and then we just do the pickleball courts themselves.
[Danielle Evans]: We'd have to find we'd have to plug that funding somewhere else. Because there's like a million dollars coming from Amanda, can you tell me what the budget is again, because we got the land and water grant.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, so we secured a million from Land and Water Conservation Fund. We have another 1.5, I'm sorry, 1.2 or $3 million ARPA. And yeah, and that's part of this first phase. And then
[Danielle Evans]: Do we have the budget for the pickleball somewhere, Amanda?
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, it was included in the CPA full application. I have it up if you guys don't mind my sharing screen. Let's take a look. Don't mind all my tabs. Is this too small? Can people see?
[Adam Hurtubise]: Not at all.
[Amanda Centrella]: You can't see at all? No. Oh, OK. OK. How do I do this? Is this a little better?
[Danielle Evans]: That's a little better. I mean, I can see it fine, but I have it on the desk, so I can't.
[Amanda Centrella]: Here. This is, if I can extend this a little bit. Yeah, that's good. Any better? OK. So I'll start out. Here's the top portion. Minimize this and if folks want me to scroll down, just let me know.
[Unidentified]: Well, we can see the square footage, the cost per square footage. For the two minutes concrete paving.
[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, it doesn't look like it's necessarily the courts themselves that's costing majority. It's just like a lot of little things adding up to a lot.
[Roberta Cameron]: Utilities is big.
[Danielle Evans]: Those will be available for other uses at the
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, so I mean, this is really just like phase one implementation of the car park master plan.
[Matt Leming]: Why is the lighting so expensive? Is that like separate? Is that like a total column right there? Can you scroll a bit?
[Amanda Centrella]: Electrical. You want.
[Matt Leming]: Yeah, go up. Utility. OK, just start. I want to look at utilities.
[Danielle Evans]: Whenever you get trades and prevailing wages involved, things get very expensive to do.
[Jenny Graham]: Do they play pickleball at night? Like why is lighting an option? Do they play pickleball at night?
[Matt Leming]: That's what I was wondering.
[Jenny Graham]: We've never had like a permit request for pickleball at night. And that's like a huge like, I mean, that's a huge chunk of money, $80,000. Yeah, I'm questioning that.
[Amanda Centrella]: So currently, because there are no dedicated pickleball courts, the court equipment can only be in use for certain times of day. I think it's actually a fairly limited amount of time. I want to say maybe nine to 11 or something like that. And so I think it would make sense that you wouldn't necessarily get requests for use outside of that timeframe because the equipment has to then be locked up after that point in time.
[Joan Cyr]: So they said that they try to set these up really early in the morning so that they can take advantage of all of the time they are allowed to play, like you said, Amanda. But they said that there's lines of people waiting to play. So my guess is if they had permanent pickleball courts, they would be using them all the time. Because it's not just the elderly that are playing pickleball, it's the young people too. I don't know if anybody's ever been over to Assembly Row where they've got those pop-up pickleball courts that people pay a ridiculous amount of money to play pickleball, but they got lights up there and they're playing into the cold weather.
[Jenny Graham]: It's just frustrating because, like, we're one of the few cities that has pickleball courts, so, like, other cities are flocking to us, and I feel like we're catering to other cities. You know what I mean? And we're footing the bill. That's just, I don't know. That's just my take on it from, like, park commission and, like, seeing, like, what comes in for permits and stuff. And I get like pickleball is really hot right now, but like, we're going to put all this money in for a trend that might not be so hot in a couple of years. You know what I mean? Like we're paying $80,000 to install lighting. And maybe in like five years, it might not be a thing anymore. And we paid $80,000 for lighting for courts that aren't going to be used.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Well, kids will show up and skateboard on it.
[Jenny Graham]: yeah it they can be used for something yeah exactly it won't be it won't be dead space once you put that down i mean you can but like having like paying for the lighting is what i'm saying like that i agree with you that one's that's because like you're the lights are only going to be on when there's a permit for it you know what i mean just like any other park just like any other park permit like you you pay for the lighting you get a permit for lighting So it's not like those lights are just going to be on all the time.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Can we go back and ask them about that? Can we pull out lighting and pull out this $10,000 water fountain? There's a store on the corner of the park. I mean, if you want water, go buy it.
[Jenny Graham]: Can I ask a question about the presence of water fountain in parks?
[Danielle Evans]: We need water at our parks. It's crazy that we don't have any water. Water in parks should just change. We should have it everywhere that we can.
[Jenny Graham]: Can we just think about safety issues with lighting though, regardless of like whatever this lighting is specific to the Pickleball Court. Before we just want to rip it out of the project, can we just make sure that there is enough lighting for safety reasons and maybe there's a compromise there? Most of our parks have terrible lighting. You can't even stay there. I agree with that. I just know like with something like this, that's specific to pickleball court lighting and how it's listed. It's almost listed as if like the baseball fields, the softball fields that have lighting, like those lights aren't on unless there's a permit for it. You know what I mean? Or unless someone's specifically using that field. So I agree. This should be safety lighting, especially, especially car park. Cause it's, it's, you know, you're up in the Heights, it's dark up there to begin with. Um, And it should have adequate lighting, for sure, for safety reasons.
[Matt Leming]: What is the process for getting lights turned on, though? Like, they have to get a permit every time they want to go out and play pickleball in the morning? They're not just, like, always on at certain times?
[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, so I think it depends on, like, I know at Columbus, like, there's legit a switch that we just have access to that we turn it on and off. At Memorial, it's I think on a timer, same thing with talks I believe is also on a timer, but they only go on during like the seasons where they're being used so obviously like in the winter like have shouldn't be lit up like the. Yeah, like softball field shouldn't be lit up. So it seems like there's a follow-up question in terms of the planned programming use of these pickleball courts. If they're never going to ask to play at night, so they'll never ask for a permit to turn the lights on, then that will send you in one direction. Also, too, they need to understand, because the courts have lights, when they apply for a permit, It doesn't matter if they use them or not. They're paying for a court that has lights. Just like when you apply for a permit at Columbus, regardless if you play at night or not, you're paying for a park that has lights. It's part of your permit fee. So it's something they definitely need to consider.
[Joan Cyr]: Are they getting permits for the pop-up use of Duggar right now?
[Jenny Graham]: Do you know? I am not honestly sure. I had to work the last Parks Commission meeting, so I'm not sure.
[Roberta Cameron]: And what's the difference in cost between a permit for a park with lighting versus one without lighting?
[Jenny Graham]: I think it's $200 difference.
[Roberta Cameron]: And that's a permit for what, like how much usage?
[Jenny Graham]: So our seasons are broken down, you know, like spring, summer, fall, and then obviously there's no like real winter season. But that's how it's broken down, like spring, summer. So like softball, like softball applies for a permit. They're paying an extra, you know, if they're using Columbus Park, they're paying for lights during summer and fall.
[Unidentified]: Okay.
[Danielle Evans]: This is for organized events. Like I, for pickleball, I just pictured that they'd be lit so that folks could mosey in and play like at their leisure, that it wasn't necessarily a something you were going in for a permit for like in other cities.
[Jenny Graham]: I think Kevin Bailey was going to try to work out some type of like, like sign up, like almost like, like reservation system for the pickleball courts, because because and like the tennis courts, because it was just becoming such a high demand.
[Roberta Cameron]: So maybe next month we want to ask Kevin to come back and talk some more about Pickleball, but also the, so this is this, as I said before, this is implementing our park master plan, and part of So part of the utilities that we see here, I wonder whether that's really just lighting for the Pickleball Court or if that's part of the lighting for the park in general. Like, I want to know, like, how essential is this whole package to the whole Carr Park Master Plan?
[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, kind of like how Christie said, like, is this lighting for the entire park and they're just labeling it as Pickleball Court lighting to make it part of the grant request? Or is it actually just pickleball court lighting? Because that just seems like a lot of money to light up four pickleball courts.
[Amanda Centrella]: If I could interject, this is lighting that is specific to the pickleball courts. Lighting for the rest of, so like the loop path and the baseball fields is separate and part of the phase one funding that we've secured from other sources.
[Danielle Evans]: from last year. Aren't they? Because wasn't there like Kevin was naming some brand and it's because you can turn them on remotely like they.
[Amanda Centrella]: It's must go. Yeah. They're expensive.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: From last year when you did the basketball court at Playstead Park that got new lighting. Is is the cost comparable to what was done there? I just don't remember.
[Danielle Evans]: Did it get? I don't think we paid for that. I don't think CPA paid for that lighting.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Okay. I just knew everything, everything around that court is, is new.
[Danielle Evans]: Oh, it is.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Yeah. The court was new. Everything involved with the bleachers. And I think the lighting was all pretty new. What?
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: Thank you. I just don't like to just chime in. I'm sorry. I like to raise my hand. I like to talk over people. Um, my question is, um, I know already have lighting. So would that be an additional lighting directly for the pickleball?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yes, that's right. Okay.
[Matt Leming]: Yeah. In general, I'm actually I'm pretty favorable to this one, even like I personally do think that pickleball could just be like a fad, but it did have a substantial amount of support from a lot of different people coming from this one. So that's kind of making me think maybe not so much. But this I think there should be clarification around this lighting issue.
[Heidi Davis]: Also, I know they want the chain link fence to protect against stray baseballs, but there's another substantial cost there, about $38,000. Is 422 linear feet necessary? I want to look at the dimensions of the pickleball courts and compare it to the linear feet.
[Jenny Graham]: I think the fencing has something to do with, as well, the sound. Right?
[Heidi Davis]: I'm sorry, the what?
[Jenny Graham]: The sound. Like it was like a sound barrier as well. Because I know there was concerns with our butters, because I guess it's noisy. If you've ever heard it, it's kind of noisy.
[Heidi Davis]: I don't see how chain link fence works.
[Jenny Graham]: Yeah. Well, it says vinyl clad chain link fence. Vinyl clad chain link, yeah. So it's not like, if you see like the bottom one, it just looks like regular wide chain link fence. What is vinyl clad chain link fence? Is that why it's more expensive?
[Heidi Davis]: It must be.
[Matt Leming]: There was, yeah, in the presentation, they also did some discussion around the height of the fence itself. I think they, I can't recall exactly, I think they were asked about that and they said that they got pretty So I feel like this was already something that they had in mind.
[Jenny Graham]: I don't think vinyl clad is actually a noise barrier. It's just not the metal. It has like the vinyl coating on the, you know.
[Joan Cyr]: I think the idea about the fence was to keep the play, the balls in the two fields that were abutted out of each other's fields, right? So no pickleballs into the baseball field and hopefully no baseballs into the pickleball courts.
[Roberta Cameron]: I don't know that I have the expertise to question design care like details like lighting that's a good question to to raise to like ask for justification for that figure for lighting, but I'm not sure that. I'm not a park planner, so I don't know what's really needed and how to interpret the rest of the items on the.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah, I feel.
[Matt Leming]: Wait, who brought up the, did they ever claim that it was supposed to be for a sound thing because I don't
[Doug Carr]: It can't be for sound at four feet tall. A four foot tall fence wouldn't do anything for sound. And vinyl clad, it's not acoustic. It would have to be 12 feet tall on solid concrete or something like that to be acoustic. It's not acoustic.
[Joan Cyr]: I mean, the materials and installation itself is only 260. The rest of it is bond, overhead, profit, contingency, escalation, design costs. It's like. Yeah.
[Roberta Cameron]: When you add in those, it goes up pretty, pretty steeply.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: I have another question. Yes. Is, is that going to be added during, cause I know they have a plan to redo car park. Would that be in addition to, like add to whatever they're doing to it already?
[Roberta Cameron]: This is part of what they're doing to Carr Park. Right.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: So my question, the reason why I'm asking that is that when they're redoing the park, wouldn't they be implementing like water fountain in there already? Or why is Pickleball is the one asking for specific water? I'm just going out there.
[Danielle Evans]: They're just dividing up things like they're assembling the funding and there'll probably be probably other bottle fillers throughout the park.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, there I can confirm that I think that there are at least there's at least one possibly two other ones in different portions of the park. I want to say one is by the basketball courts.
[Adam Hurtubise]: It's probably near the top.
[Danielle Evans]: Right.
[Roberta Cameron]: Right. So just back if the total cost of installing like this, the subtotal is 260,000 of which 80,000 is so 80,000 is what part of 260,000. It's about a third. Then the total. It's about 140,000 is the miscellaneous overhead and everything. So a third of 140,000 is about 60,000. So let's say 60,000 plus 80,000, that's 140,000. So about 140,000 out of this 400,000 perhaps is the lighting.
[Danielle Evans]: I think we need to go back to the designers to verify that.
[Unidentified]: Yeah.
[Danielle Evans]: It's a lot of pulling together things that touch other parts of the park, which is Because we actually have few funding sources, like CDBG can't be used at Carr.
[Roberta Cameron]: So there are fewer funding sources available for this park. And it's a really big project all around.
[Jenny Graham]: And this estimate is based on schematic design? What level of design is this based on? Because I just look at the design fee and it says, or design development through construction administration.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, so I'm sorry, Christy.
[Jenny Graham]: Yeah, no, I was gonna say so it's only based on schematic sign, you know, like the contingency makes sense to me, I question four years of escalation, although it's only 3% per year. 3% over four years, I'm just trying to figure that out.
[Danielle Evans]: Anyway.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yeah, you're right. It is at schematic design level. We'll be advancing that a little bit as we go into permitting with the Conservation Commission, but but that the rest of that this funding would be to bring us to final design.
[Roberta Cameron]: So we should this is another project like we'll ask for more information about the about the lighting next time to confirm whether there could be an alternative to omit the lighting or to use a less expensive lighting.
[Danielle Evans]: Or maybe just pay. Do we need to find it now or should we just be funding the design?
[Amanda Centrella]: So you're asking if it should be design only now versus design and construction?
[Jenny Graham]: Well, how can we commit funds on something that's not fully designed yet? Shouldn't we just be committing funds to design?
[Amanda Centrella]: So I think our hope was to be able to bid this project out with the rest of the phase one work, which would be starting in spring. And we'd be including this in the filing for Conservation Commission. So which, you know, does give I think a couple years of time to get that work done. But there's, I think, is it three years, Heidi, where construction has to be completed after?
[Heidi Davis]: Yes, but you can get an extension to an order.
[Roberta Cameron]: So there's a good chance then that we'd be sitting on this money for a while before it actually gets spent.
[Joan Cyr]: I mean, it does say the pickleball course may be completed at any time after phase one is complete.
[Amanda Centrella]: So I think the intent is to start work with the rest of phase one. which we're aiming for late May, June beginning for construction. So I think we would be able to spend money on this in the, I think, near term. But you're right, Joan, that it could also happen in later phases.
[Roberta Cameron]: So it could happen in later phases. Your hope is that you can fund this now and have it completed with phase one.
[Amanda Centrella]: Yes. And I think that that would also save us expenses on site mobilization and taking advantage of the work being done in this area for phase one.
[Adam Hurtubise]: OK.
[Joan Cyr]: And I think the point that I heard during the presentation is that so far, we haven't looked at any real proposals that really target the older population. You know, there's been a lot of top lots, there's been a lot of open space, but this was seen as something that really targets a different population. So, I don't know.
[Adam Hurtubise]: I very much agree with that.
[Roberta Cameron]: I feel as though we've gathered the information that we need on this this evening, unless there's any further comments that we wanna put on the table now before our discussion next month. I'm gonna put my, I can find my cursor. Oh, there we go. I'm going to put the scenarios back on the screen. So just playing around with this car park, let's say that we were able to cut down the lighting cost, maybe reduce that project by $300,000. I mean, to 300,000 from 400,000, just throwing that out there. Who knows whether that's what we'll end up wanting to do in the end. But just as an example of how we can play around with the scenarios to try to bring the costs, the funding in line with the funds available. What's the next project that we might want to tackle? McGlynn Playground?
[Matt Leming]: Yeah, we already talked about that.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, McGlynn Playground I marked down to 500,000 assuming that we want to take the phasing offer that they suggested we could do.
[Matt Leming]: I personally felt between just based on the conversation we had in the first presentation around that the cemetery caretakers should be funded, but not necessarily Salem Street burial ground, just in terms of prioritizing the two of those, at least, but not this round. I mean, well, I feel like the caretaker's quarters, he said that that's something that they really, that's just like a study that they really needed to get done as soon as possible. Daniels.
[Unidentified]: Other thoughts about that?
[Heidi Davis]: The photos from the burial ground show that there were some pretty, it looked kind of like imminent damage. There was spalling in the concrete. There was shifting of the capstones on the wall. Perhaps Doug could speak more to that, but it seemed kind of like the repairs were kind of acute.
[Doug Carr]: Yeah, I, I would agree. Go ahead. Sorry.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: I will agree because this is like such a big part of your downtown like Medford Square area. So when you walked in this is something that I really would like to be preserved, because it is showing a significant damage in there. And me personally, my experience when I first moved here to Medford 23 years ago, I was in awe when I, that was the first stop that I made. And that really made a big impact on me when I moved here to see, you know, how it was then. It was in better shape then than it is now. So, yeah.
[Doug Carr]: What I would add to that is I think that costs, because it's kind of based on the conversation, Joan, we had at the last meeting, they seem like they were doing more of a repair project versus a restoration project. I think some of the things that would push it into the restoration would probably cost a few more dollars. then it's shown there. So I fear that that number might go up, not down, if we were to do it all at once. That's not to say you couldn't break it into phases, but I don't know. I haven't looked at the metrics of that or the polls very closely to know if that's possible. That's always our first approach, I think, to any project is, can it be broken into two or three pieces and funded one at a time over several years? That obviously has worked before, and it's something that we can look at for each of these, if it makes sense.
[Roberta Cameron]: So you're suggesting, Doug, that we might, Salem Street Burial Ground in particular, we might fund just a part of it this time?
[Doug Carr]: I'd have to look more closely at the details to see if it's a logical thing to break it. It may not be, Roberta.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. So I just added a column for prioritization. I don't know whether we want to try to take a stab at ranking, and maybe this is an exercise, if we wanted to do it this way, we'd have to do it on our own and then try to compile it together and see where we land. Take a stab at ranking what we feel are the most important or least important projects among these to fund this round versus a later round.
[Matt Leming]: I think with the prioritization that does kind of like, I wasn't saying that the Salem Street burial ground wasn't important, but I, what I was kind of my thinking behind it was that. For instance, if McGlynn Playground doesn't get built this year, then that's one extra year that kids don't get a good playground to play at. If Salem Street Burial Ground isn't repaired this year, and this is where I would value the advice of construction experts, but I didn't get the impression that it was going to I don't think it would. Explode the next year or anything like that. So that was, that was kind of my thinking. With potentially delaying that another year in favor of other projects.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Like it doesn't make or break the functionality of.
[Matt Leming]: Yeah, exactly. So I wouldn't put Salem street burial ground. Necessarily. And I, you know, I walked around that personally, just like looking over it. Just to look at it doesn't look so bad. Obviously, I want to know more about whether those issues will continue to get worse, but I don't think that it should be like priority number one.
[Joan Cyr]: And if you remember, they included sidewalk restoration in with this $121,000, which Tim mentioned that maybe the city could pay for that. I don't know, I didn't get it.
[Danielle Evans]: Can you just summarize that out already, Roberta?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, I don't remember whether, so that was, I think that the sidewalk was in the EDF, but I don't remember if it was in the full application. I took the number from the full application.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, I think Tim took it out. Okay.
[Adam Hurtubise]: I don't know what I saw in here, but.
[Roberta Cameron]: So the caretakers, the idea is that it's, this is just the study that we're completing right now. And it could potentially maybe be combined with the garage study if the timing works out for getting this under agreement. And that the study is what's needed before we can begin to actually make the repairs. So every year that we don't do the study is a further year out that we won't be able to undertake repairs.
[Matt Leming]: So it's definitely higher priority.
[Roberta Cameron]: We've been very slow at actually implementing any of the projects in the cemetery so far. Although, like I was trying to draw out earlier, who are the stakeholders? There are different entities that have applied for different projects in the cemetery. And I wonder whether that's because of the city's slow processes or if it's because of a lack of capacity to implement those projects.
[Danielle Evans]: And if I may, Like I know we don't, when we pay for like study and design, you actually want to implement it at some point. I'm just wondering like where the funding for both to do the WPA garage, which is an important structure, but then also the caretaker's quarters. Like I just, I'm just wondering when, when would that rise to a priority being funded. I just feel like there's a lot of competing. Yeah, those projects are building priorities, walls of city buildings and just like, I'm not even sure it makes sense to even have the cemetery office in there.
[Joan Cyr]: So is the point that it's one thing to do a study, but if the city's not going to put up money to do the repairs, then the study goes stale?
[Roberta Cameron]: Even if it doesn't go stale, how urgent is it to do the study this year if they're not actually going to fund the improvements for another five years?
[Joan Cyr]: Right. So I don't think we ever got like a long-term capital plan to see where this would land.
[Matt Leming]: The caretakers quarters in the presentation didn't seem to be in the best of shape. So they my impression from the presentation was that they were eager to get that done kind of as soon as possible, just so that they would have a basis on which to request other. I mean, I'm just kind of remembering back to the presentation itself.
[Roberta Cameron]: One other consideration that I'd want to make is with risk is that any of these historic preservation projects, if we don't fund it. There's a good chance that if it's really urgent, they're going to find the money to do it, and they're not going to follow the Secretary of Interior standards and we're going to end up losing a historic resource because the project will be. I mean that's definitely going to come into play with the Shiloh Baptist Church, for example. You know. if they don't begin to restore the stained glass windows, they're going to begin to take out the stained glass windows and just replace them with plain glass windows, because they can't afford to do anything else. And that could be the case with Isaac Hall House too, that if they don't take our money to do the project, then chances are they're going to just you know, go to Home Depot and get windows to put in that building.
[Matt Leming]: Shiloh Church and Isaac Hall were at the top of this little list, were near the top of this little list that I made in terms of funding. And yeah, I am in agreement that a lot of it is just because I, with those applicants, I was not sure if they would reapply next year necessarily. So yeah, I would definitely agree with that sentiment.
[Unidentified]: I think they're both important cultural resources. And that, and I do think they're at risk.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: I agree. Chatham Baptist Church is, you know, is such a big part of not only West Medford, but the African American population up in West Medford has been there for many years. And It would be a great loss to see if that, you know, to see that building, you know, wouldn't be able to stay as it is and be preserved.
[Roberta Cameron]: Um, what I would. So I just wanted to bring this back, like, not to not to discount the conversation about Isaac Hall and Shiloh Baptist, but just back to the caretaker's quarters. I'd have a similar fear that if the city goes ahead and updates the caretaker's quarters without doing a plan with CPA funds first, that they're going to do it poorly. So that's the one sense of urgency that I have is making sure that they do it with historic preservation input rather than without. But if they aren't gonna do anything for another five or 10 years, then maybe it's not that urgent. Are there any projects on this list that people feel maybe ought to wait a year?
[Matt Leming]: I think the Tufts Park basketball could wait a year. I think both of the Brooks Estates ones could wait. Like I said, the Salem Street Burial Ground, I think, could also wait. Gillis Park, I'm not so sure about. The one that we haven't discussed but should not wait a year, I think, is the Hickey Park dugout, but that's, yeah, that's another conversation.
[Roberta Cameron]: Let's go back to the Brooks Estate. What do others think about the Brooks Estate project? Well, I mean, there are really two. One of them is finished, and one is already in progress. And the other one is taking on the Brooks Estate Manor East Elevation. What are your thoughts about these two?
[Joan Cyr]: Well, one of the big feedback points that we've gotten over the years during our community input is that Brooks Estate is a moneymaker, and unless we fix it, we're never going to be able to use that asset. That has been said over and over again.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: How does that make money, the Brooks Estate? I'm just curious.
[Joan Cyr]: And you can rent it out for weddings, conferences, all that kind of stuff.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Have they ever, in my lifetime, I don't recall one Medford event hosted at the Brooks Estates in 15 years.
[Joan Cyr]: You can't take it. The place is in such disrepair. But if you go to a place like the Stevens Estate in North Andover, they rent their place out for weddings, they make a lot of money. And there's the Lyman Estate. I'm an estate in Waltham. We have an estate and we're not using it. It's almost like leaving the Chevalier to rot. Same thing.
[Doug Carr]: So I would say that the access drive design is the more important, even though it's the smaller number, because that actually gets people up there. And it's a project that's two years and counting right now. We want to complete it. So if you're going to cut one, it would be the east elevation to defer it a year.
[Jenny Graham]: I would agree, like finish what we already started and then maybe push the east elevation a year where it hasn't begun yet.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, I don't have a vote here, but I would love to see M-BELT close some of the grants because there's a lot of money tied up in projects that are not moving.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Can you give us an estimate, Danielle, of what's tied up for M-BELT? for Brooks Estates.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, I think you missed it in the very beginning. We went over, let's see.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah, no, I'm sorry, I was driving.
[Danielle Evans]: No, that's okay. There's 100,000 from the last round for one part of the east entryways. Let's see.
[Matt Leming]: I'm looking at the... I think housing families should probably just be funded because it's so cheap.
[Danielle Evans]: There's a third phase of the stone wall that hasn't started yet. That's $30,000. We're at $130,000 right now. There is a Where's the landscape project? $24,000 for landscape improvement project hasn't started yet. $22,000 for the second invasive plant removal that hasn't started yet.
[Joan Cyr]: There's- But I want to make sure that we understand why those projects haven't started.
[Danielle Evans]: I mean, part of it is- I think there's too many going on. And how are they managing all of these?
[Doug Carr]: Tom, Tom, we don't have for a half of those projects from the city.
[Danielle Evans]: We don't have, we don't have counsel. Why am I, I have very limited time to write these and then we get, we're going to get legal.
[Doug Carr]: I know, but you can't blame the organizations. If the city it's in the city's court. No, you can't, but don't blame the organization for not doing something. That's is that what you're saying?
[Danielle Evans]: I haven't seen any movement on the ones that do have them.
[Roberta Cameron]: So Danielle has been prioritizing projects that are as they're ready to go. So I think, you know, it may not be clear to InBelt that they need to be rattling the chain in order to, you know, move ahead in priority to get the contracts done. So there might be a gap in communication between M-BELT and Danielle.
[Doug Carr]: We should defer the $90,000 just because I think it would help lower these numbers. I concur with that. There's a lot of projects at M-BELT. There's no doubt about that. So let's put the east elevation, let's put that into a next year fund. You've already talked about endorse the project. It's just a question of available funds.
[Roberta Cameron]: Oh, we're still 200,000.
[Joan Cyr]: So what was the consensus about the Salem Street burial ground? That it could wait a year? Or it could wait, like it wasn't in imminent danger of collapse? And then what about Gillis Park, the fitness and picnic area?
[Matt Leming]: Yeah, we haven't talked about Gillis at all.
[Jenny Graham]: No, I feel like master plan like is that kind of like a car park scenario?
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, it's it's just it's a piece of the implementation of the whole master plan. Okay.
[Danielle Evans]: They got a state sizable state grant that pays for the lion's share.
[Joan Cyr]: And over Memorial Grove. I mean, I'm just trying to pick to the ones that we haven't talked about yet.
[Matt Leming]: My naive thinking was for the real cheap ones, like COVID Memorial Grove, housing families, Duggar Tennis. Those could just be funded since they don't have a lot of money. But yeah, we haven't really talked about them.
[Roberta Cameron]: The COVID Memorial Grove is a design and a study to figure out, like, where is the best location for this. And so I, and you know, the trees Medford still hasn't finished spending the grant that they received for trees and parks. Is it trees Medford that's applying for this or is this the office of community development?
[Amanda Centrella]: This is the planning office applying.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. So this is probably something you know, doesn't necessarily have to be done this year.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Right.
[Matt Leming]: No, but there is kind of a timeliness to, it depends on like when those other like memorial grows are usually implemented after the event that they're memorializing.
[Joan Cyr]: Well, I think of Crystal Campbell Garden, that was years after
[Matt Leming]: You know, that was something I was thinking about a lot during the presentation, though, like. Sorry, Amanda.
[Amanda Centrella]: Amanda. Oh, go ahead. I didn't want to interrupt anyone's thoughts. I guess I would just throw in for consideration that we have lined up some potential grant funding through the state program. I'm blanking on the name right now that has to do with urban forestry that If a design were completed, we could apply to next. I think it's October is the application period. So there is kind of a strategy for. How to move forward on this, depending on what, you know, obviously what public has to say. And that that funding source is sometimes used by the city and DPW in particular forestry division. And so we had kind of checked in with that division to see if they had any plans for applying next year and they don't. So that there's this potential opening, but just thought I would throw that into the mix.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: Thank you. Since it's a study, just so because it will take a while for for the study to be completed, especially when you have, you know, residents input and try to figure out where to put it, what is the best. And I will think that just to get start on a roll, we should go ahead and try to give them the starting, you know, boost that they need just to have the study done.
[Unidentified]: Okay. Then. So what would happen if we took the Salem Street burial ground now?
[Roberta Cameron]: So we are just about one COVID Memorial Grove away from.
[Jenny Graham]: I mean, that amount does include like all the contingencies, right? So it's not really the actual amount that's going to be spent.
[Joan Cyr]: On which project?
[Jenny Graham]: On any project, right? Because all these projects include contingencies.
[Roberta Cameron]: Right, so, but the contingents, I mean, we have to approve the funding for it with the contingency and then they'll give it back if they don't spend it. So the money, the whole, some of this money would hopefully not end up coming back to us.
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: Did we discuss, I'm sorry, did we discuss to hold back the Tufts Park baseball for next year or just this year?
[Roberta Cameron]: We did not discuss what to do about Tufts Park at all.
[Unidentified]: What are your thoughts, Losa?
[Losa Julie Genevieve]: I don't know if anybody, you know, maybe they could wait a year just trying to, because.
[Roberta Cameron]: I agree. That was my feeling too, quite honestly. I'd sooner, because we've done so many of the basketball courts in the last couple of years, basketball and tennis courts and all the courts. And I wouldn't, I mean, I definitely want to come back and take care of it, but I feel like we could hold off on one of these in order to make, you know, in order to really do a good job with the pickleball courts.
[Jenny Graham]: I agree. There's so many new courts out there. Like I feel like, you know, right now this is like the little sad court. Cause it's the only one that's not getting any love, but in the same sense, there's so many other courts out there that are usable and playable. And this, this court isn't completely unplayable. It's just not in the best shape. Like it's still functioning. It's just not. you know, pristine compared to all the brand new ones. I think it could wait a year.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, if we were to wait a year for these three projects that would bring and fund car pickleball courts as requested, that would, we'd be in the ballpark for what we can fund this year.
[Jenny Graham]: I think that's our smartest game plan. Let's do it.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. But we'll find out what we actually come back with for walk-in port because then that way, I mean, this is the scenario if we have to fund all of walk-in port, but if we're able to reduce this amount next month, then we might be able to put these other projects back in the pipeline.
[Matt Leming]: Sorry, could you just like highlight or reiterate which projects you're proposing? Is it the ones that are all priority one? In just those?
[Roberta Cameron]: So no, what I am doing, I will make priority three the ones that I'm taking off the table for this. So. So on the in the in this pink column here, the ones that are blank in this pink column are the ones that I'm proposing to bump until next year.
[Adam Hurtubise]: OK, yeah.
[Heidi Davis]: Heidi. Yeah, thanks. I still would like to know more about the lighting for the pickleball courts.
[Roberta Cameron]: I'll make this highlighted. Yeah, so we have that question to answer for next time. We made so much more progress than I expected. We have a really solid game plan for what we can approve next month once we have all the information we need.
[Jenny Graham]: Would we have an answer from Walkland Court by next month? We have an answer for them?
[Roberta Cameron]: I asked them to give us an answer by January, so hopefully they can stick with that schedule. Maybe, Danielle, between you and me, we can figure out how to just... Sorry, that gesture is accidental.
[Matt Leming]: I didn't mean to have that face there.
[Jenny Graham]: A little side eye to end the meeting. Exactly.
[Matt Leming]: I was I was looking through some and then I'll just put something less controversial.
[Roberta Cameron]: So yeah, maybe Danielle, between you and me, we can find an email address for the folks from CDAC just to make sure that they're scheduling a meeting with the housing authority was their next step.
[Danielle Evans]: Yeah, because Roger, right, he was going to give us, he was gonna connect us with the division that would do the lending.
[Roberta Cameron]: Yeah, so we need to get in touch with them ASAP so that we can make sure that we're ready, that we schedule the meetings that we need to schedule with them in order to get the answers by next month. And I would say that if we don't get the answers from them next month, we could probably go ahead with all of the projects
[Joan Cyr]: You saw it's that one.
[Roberta Cameron]: That's that one that are on this list. And then if this number goes down, then we might be able to go back and fund these other projects later. But we do still want to get more answers about the lights at the pickleball courts.
[Danielle Evans]: And I caught Alicia. She was leaving her traffic commission meeting and She's going to reach out to the designer. OK. But I guess the idea was that folks be able to play pickleball at night, like not as part of a permitting thing. They could play without the baseball field lights. They would have their own little court so that it wouldn't be requesting lights to be turned on or getting permits and just be lights that would be on during park hours, whatever those are.
[Roberta Cameron]: Okay. We'll continue this conversation next month then. Thank you everyone for a really productive conversation. Motion to close the meeting?
[Matt Leming]: Second.
[Roberta Cameron]: I'll speak at once. All right. I won't bother with a roll call if nobody tells. Thanks everybody. Thank you.
[MCM00001038_SPEAKER_03]: Have a good night. Have a great holiday. Happy holidays.
[Unidentified]: Night. Thanks.
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