CHARLES  RIVER  PARKLANDS  UPDATE
September 2002
Archives—Table of Contents

What's Happening In The Charles River Parklands?

From Watertown Square to the Charlestown Bridge, numerous undertakings are leading to improvements in parkways, bridges and parks. Here's a bird's-eye view of what's going on.

skateboarder

SKATEPARK PROJECT

The idea for a skatepark underneath Interstate 93 in Charlestown grew out of a landscape design course at the Radcliffe seminars taught by CRC president Renata von Tscharner. The notion of transforming the area under the Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge into a destination for skateboarders and in-line skaters has already attracted many supporters. The CRC hopes to involve both young people and professional skatepark designers in the development of the site, which is still in the planning stage.

TRAFFIC CALMING

Reportedly, traffic speed along Charles River Road in Watertown has diminished without impeding the flow of traffic, thanks to an innovative "paint job" initiated by Watertown City Council member Gus Bailey. From the North Beacon Street Bridge to the Galen Street Bridge, the once four-lane road has been re-striped for two car lanes, two bicycle lanes and parking. Not only has traffic slowed down, but noise and pollution in the adjacent parklands have also been reduced.

SQUIBENOKET PARK REOPENED

Located on Charles River Road between the North Beacon Street Bridge and the Watertown Yacht Club, Squibenoket Park was closed to the public for over a year as the U.S. Army worked to remedy toxic contamination from wartime activities by the Watertown Arsenal. Along with the removal of toxic soil, the Super Fund effort has included shoreline restoration and the sowing of plants that may retard erosion. A transfer of ownership from the Army to the MDC is expected to occur shortly.

HELL'S HALF ACRE PLANT INVENTORY

The CRC has retained consultant Frances Clark to conduct a biological inventory of Hell's Half Acre, the area upriver from the Eliot Bridge on the Cambridge side of the river. In the 1950s, preservation activist Annette Cottrell did a similar survey. A comparison of the two sets of results will show changes that have occurred over the past 50 years and provide maps and information that can be used for educational programs and restoration efforts.

WATERTOWN YACHT CLUB

Flush with the successful mitigation project at nearby Squibenoket, the National Park Service is facilitating the transfer to the MDC of shoreline land used by the Watertown Yacht Club. The site transfer stipulates a review of public access and benefits at the location, which in the past has been inaccessible to all but members. In a positive move, the yacht club recently posted a sign at its gate announcing the opening of a public rest room, a development noted with relief by joggers and strollers alike.

ALLSTON-BRIGHTON UNDERPASS

To make Parklands access from Brighton more attractive, the city of Boston, in collaboration with the state and the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation, has cleaned up the underpass under the Turnpike and the railroad near the North Beacon Street Bridge. Addition-aly, the pedestrian traffic signal now allows easier crossing of Nonantum Road.

GSA SITE CLEANUP

Some 11 acres between Arsenal Street and Grove Street along Greenough Boulevard have been designated a GSA (General Service Administration) Super Fund Site due to contamination with depleted uranium. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the cleanup effort, which is expected to take several more years. Once pollution mitigation is completed, the site will be turned over to the MDC for inclusion in the Charles River Parklands.

GREENOUGH TRAFFIC STUDY

In September 1997, a traffic study was conducted along Greenough Boulevard, measuring traffic volume during peak travel hours between Thursday and Monday. Based on the study, a suggestion was made to eliminate one travel lane in each direction to calm traffic and gain more greenspace for paths to serve pedestrians, bikers and in-line skaters. A follow-up study was planned for Spring 2002, then delayed, so the impact of two new stores at the Arsenal Mall -- Home Depot and Target -- could be surveyed.

BB&N SENIORS' COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT

On June 6 of this year, about one-third of the graduating class of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge volunteered to give up a morning off to serve their community. Braving a pouring rain, the 30 students cleaned up the grounds around the American Legion building: planting flowers, trimming trees, raking, mowing and pulling weeds. They also painted the underpass of the Eliot Bridge - a popular job once the rains began. Organizers were delighted by the success of the event and plan to repeat it next year.

BOATHOUSE WITH PERKS

At the newly rebuilt Belmont Hill-Winsor School Boat House at Hell's Half Acre, Parklands users can now get a refreshing drink of water any time of year. In the summer months, boat ramps are accessible to the public.

NEW BENCHES

Take a seat and enjoy the beauty of the parklands! Inspired by the efforts of the Esplanade Association, the MDC has installed new benches patterned after an original design by Arthur Shurcliff. The benches are a wonderful addition to the parklands from the Museum of Science to Watertown. (See Sit a Spell for details.)

MAGAZINE BEACH RESTORATION PROJECT

In an innovative partnership of city and state governments, the City of Cambridge has allocated $1.5 million toward the restoration of the Magazine Beach area - a project that will represent an early implementation of the MDC's Master Plan for the Charles River Basin. The centerpiece of the project is the complete reconstruction of the playing fields, a priority for the city. Also included in the final design are pathway realignment; new fencing separating the park from Memorial Drive; new tot lots, picnic tables and benches; landscaping; and shoreline stabilization. At a meeting on May 30, 2002, the project was broken into two phases, in the hope that the MDC will be able to generate the funding needed to complete the full scope. Safe access to Magazine Beach, which for some time has been a major community concern, has led to recently completed improvements. A new stop light and the renovation of the pedestrian bridge by the Morse School, including repainting facilitated by the CRC, are now complete.

BU SAILING PAVILION SITED

The firece debate over the location of BU's new sailing pavilion has ended with Secretary for the Environment Robert Durand's recommendation to site it near the Harvard Bridge. Currently nestled awkwardly below the BU Bridge, the enlarged facility will be built downriver and not take up as much parkland as on the site that BU had proposed. The site was also recommended by the CRC, which considers it equally important that the effort established a process by which the interest of the public is clearly respected and taken into consideration with mitigation efforts.

HISTORIC PARKWAYS INITIATIVE

The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) and the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) have started the renovation of Memorial Drive from the Longfellow Bridge to the BU bridge. The project will also receive funding from N-Star, which is laying cables in front of MIT. Plans call for widening pathways and greenspace along the seawall, narrowing the highway by one lane and eliminating long term parking. Several new pedestrian crossings are also in the works.

A NEW LOOK FOR STORROW DRIVE'S PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES

Both the CRC and the Esplanade Association have credited the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau with publishing new maps highlighting the pedestrian bridges from the Back Bay to the Esplan-ade. In addition, the MDC is due a note of thanks for bridge repainting and the installation of signage. The CRC, which facilitated the repainting by making design suggestions to the MDC, suggested signage associating bridges with nearby cross streets as an easy way to orient drivers entering the Back Bay.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF ESPLANADE PLAYGROUND

In a unique partnership of public agency and private nonprofit organization, the MDC and the Esplanade Association joined forces to raise the $400,000 needed to construct the newest playground on the Esplanade. The playground was dedicated in honor of Miriam & Sidney Stoneman on September 9, 2001.

LONGFELLOW BRIDGE RENOVATIONS

In June 2002, remedial work began on the Longfellow Bridge linking Boston and Cambridge. The current project, estimated at approximately $3.9 million, involves cleaning and repointing the granite on the bridge. It is anticipated the project will take some 18 months to complete. Full restoration of this landmark bridge will have to wait for another day, unfortunately, due to substantial costs.

NORTH POINT PARK GROUNDBREAKING

On June 13, 2002, construction officially began on North Point Park, just downriver from the Science Museum, as part of the renewal of the Charles River Basin's "Lost Half Mile". The new, nine-acre park will consist of a playground, pedestrian and bicycle paths, new plantings, lighting, benches, a canal and two islands. A new pedestrian bridge crossing to the nearby Craigie Bridge is also planned. Scheduled for completion in early 2004, North Point Park will be a crucial step towards creating a connection to the new Paul Revere Park and Boston Harbor.

SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM

Members of the South Boston Boys and Girls Club participated in a pilot parklands education program launched by the CRC, the Esplanade Associa-tion, and Community Boating. Funded by a grant from the Tomfohrde Foundation, the children learned about changes in the area through land-based activities and kayaking. The program is expected to be expanded next summer.

Charles River Parklands is published by The Charles River Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of the Basin parklands of the Charles River.

• Next: Parklands - A Place of Refuge and Hope: An Interview with Karl Haglund, author of Inventing the Charles River
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Email: crc@thecharles.org

 
© 2002, The Charles River Conservancy.