June 2025
Construction Schedule Update
Construction documents for the project are finished, and we expect to start the contractor bidding and selection process in early July.
In March we estimated that construction would start this summer, but no earlier than June 23, 2025. We now expect to start construction this fall, but will not begin until late August at the earliest. We expect construction to take 12 - 18 months. We will have a more definitive start date and timeline in the coming weeks once we have hired a contractor.
Sign up for email updates for future updates on construction.
Raymond Park Renovation Plan
We are excited to share the Raymond Park Renovation Plan!
Thank you all for participating in the community process thus far and submitting feedback! The feedback we received through three waves of engagement were assessed and incorporated into this refined final plan. Construction documents for this plan are finished, and we expect to start the contractor bidding and selection process in early July.
Goodbye (for now) Party
On June 21st we partnered with the Friends of Raymond Park and the Neighborhood 9 Coalition to throw a party in the park to celebrate the park and its community before construction begins in the fall. Thank you to everyone who came to the event and stopped by our table to ask questions and say hello!
April 2025
Virtual Open Houses
Thank you to everyone who joined us at one of our four virtual open houses! We had a chance to discuss the basketball courts, shaded seating, off-leash dog hours, the community garden, and other topics community members were interested in.
- Monday, April 14, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 15, 12 - 1 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 15, 4 - 5 p.m.
- Thursday, April 17, 9 -10 a.m.
March 2025
Construction Schedule Update
We expect to start construction this summer, but no earlier than June 23, 2025. We expect construction to take 12 - 18 months. We will have a more definitive start date and timeline later this spring.
Since the design process began in early 2024, we have expected to start construction in Spring or Summer of 2025. We're close to a final design and final construction documents. Once those documents are completed, we can post the project for construction contractors to bid on. We will review the bids, and work with the selected contractor to set a schedule for construction.
Community Engagement Wave #3: What We Heard
Thank you for sharing your voices with us during our third wave of community engagement.
291 people filled out the Renovation Plan Survey in-person and online. We have reviewed your ideas and feedback, and are using what we've heard to help refine the renovation plan.
Review a summary of what we heard in Community Engagement Wave #3.
Public Art Concept
In October 2024, the City of Cambridge convened a Public Art Selection Committee of community members, local artists, and project staff to pick an artist through the City’s 1% for Art Ordinance.
The Committee selected Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster, Toronto-based designers whose artistic practice focuses on ‘social infrastructures’ which seek to build community by fostering playful interactions in physical space.
After their site visit and meetings with the project team, Julia and Coryn developed a concept for a sculpture inspired by what they heard as a frequent use of the park - a gathering hub for play, for picnics, birthday parties, and for impromptu social interaction. These types of activities fit well with one of the core values in their art practice – creating “social infrastructure”, i.e., opportunities for social encounters through a sculptural presence that is physically and visually playful.
Check out the "Public Art" tab on this webpage for more information about the concept.
January 2025
Raymond Park Renovation Plan (survey closed on 1/6/24)
Thank you to all the people (and dogs!) who came to one of our pop ups at Raymond or responded to our online survey!
At the pop ups and on the survey we reviewed a Renovation Plan for the park. You can view a video presentation of the plan, or a pdf of the plan. Community members provided feedback on what parts they're most excited about, offered comments, and asked questions.
The project team is reviewing all the feedback and using what we heard to inform the details of the final design. We'll publish a summary of what we heard in Wave 3 on this webpage, and send it out to the project email list. Please stay tuned!
December 2024
Community Engagement Wave #3: Save the Date!
Join us in Raymond Park on Tuesday, December 17 or Thursday, December 19 to review the draft renovation plan. These events are a chance to let us know what you think, and discuss the renovation with the project team and neighbors!
Don't worry if you can't make any of the pop ups, we'll post to this webpage all the materials and a survey that asks the same questions that will be asked at the pop ups.
Stay tuned for an email update including the draft renovation plan, and the survey for feedback.
August 2024
Community Engagement Wave #2: What We Heard
Thank you for sharing your voices with us during our second wave of community engagement. A special thank you to the hearty folks who joined us on some very hot days in the park!
291 people filled out the conceptual designs scorecard in-person and online. We are reviewing your ideas and feedback, and using what we've heard to help craft a draft plan for the renovation.
Review a summary of what we heard in Community Engagement Wave #2.
July 2024
Conceptual Design Open Houses and Online Survey (survey closed on 7/22/24)
Thank you to everyone who came to one of our open houses or responded to our online survey!
At the open houses and on the survey we reviewed conceptual designs for the park, and got your feedback on what renovation ideas you liked.
See our August 2024 update above for a summary of what we heard.
May 2024
Community Engagement Wave #1: What We Heard
Thank you for sharing your voices with us during our first wave of community engagement! We are reviewing your ideas and feedback, and using what we've heard to help start the design process.
Review a summary of what we heard in Community Engagement Wave #1.
Did you miss our first survey? Have any ideas or questions?
Sign up for virtual office hours with project manager, Lev McCarthy, to discuss the project.
April 2024
Kickoff Survey and Scavenger Hunt Closed (4/11/24)
Thank you to everyone who took time to fill out an online survey or scavenger hunt!
We received over 250 survey responses, and over 30 completed scavenger hunts. Please check back soon for an update on what we've heard so far and our next steps.
March 2024
Kickoff Survey and Scavenger Hunt (3/11/24)
At the very beginning of the process we used a scavenger hunt and online survey to ask community members what they love about Raymond Park and what could be improved.
Project Launch (3/4/24)
We launched the Raymond Park Renovation project in Spring 2024.
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In October 2024, the City of Cambridge convened a Public Art Selection Committee of community members, local artists, and project staff to pick an artist through the City’s 1% for Art Ordinance.
The Committee selected Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster, Toronto-based designers whose artistic practice focuses on ‘social infrastructures’ which seek to build community by fostering playful interactions in physical space.
After their site visit and meetings with the project team, Julia and Coryn developed a concept for a sculpture inspired by what they heard as a frequent use of the park - a gathering hub for play, for picnics, birthday parties, and for impromptu social interaction. These types of activities fit well with one of the core values in their art practice – creating “social infrastructure”, i.e., opportunities for social encounters through a sculptural presence that is physically and visually playful.
The concept they developed is also environmentally responsive, using upcycled garden furniture sourced through informal networks like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or flea market collectors. These familiar types of tables will be refurbished and painted in a warm color palette of pinks and oranges. Our Director of Art Conservation, Craig Uram, is advising on paint systems for best durability and finish.
Some visuals to help explain the concept:
- A Park Plan showing the location of the sculpture off the edge of the multipurpose court.
- Rendering of Artists’ Concept: The final configuration or overall shape will not be exactly like this image but will be determined by the specific tables to be sourced. This image gives a sense of general scale or size of the arrangement. Tables will overlap in some places, resulting in three slightly different heights across the whole sculpture, with all three heights being within the range of normal table height. We plan to plant trees near the sculpture to provide some shade.
- Examples of the types of tables to be upcycled for the project.
Visit the artists' website to learn more about their work! www.ck-jj.com
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