Rafferty Park Renovation Project - Community Meeting #2
Please join us for our next community meeting for the Rafferty Park renovation project!
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Community Room at Finch Cambridge
(675 Concord Avenue, Cambridge)
At this meeting, the project team will:
- Summarize feedback we’ve heard so far
- Present design concepts based on themes and feedback heard during our outreach to date
- Hold discussions to get your feedback about concepts shown
- Provide updates on what to expect from the next phases of the project
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What are design concepts?
Design concepts are initial ideas based on what we have heard so far from the community so far, the City's goals and guidelines, and the experience of the design team. We want to test different ideas to see what works best in the space of the park. At this stage, ideas are focused on the big picture and ask key questions such as:
- What physical features are provided (benches, basketball court, slide, etc.)?
- What programing is included (sports, play, gathering spot, etc.)?
- What is the general feel/ambiance of the park (quiet, active, flexible, etc.)?
- While there are still many details to figure out, the conceptual design phase is critical and sets the overall direction of what the future park looks like.
THIS IS WHY WE WANT YOU TO BE INVOLVED NOW!
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We encourage you to join us and we look forward to your feedback!
Refreshments will be provided. Please note, on-site parking is not available.
To request an interpreter for this event or for additional support accessing the materials or space, please contact accesshelp@cambridgema.gov.
Can't join us that day?
If you are not able to attend, a recording of the presentation and a follow-up survey will be available. We will also have virtual office hours if you have any questions about the project.
Tabling in the Park and Next Project Survey!
We'll be taking advantage of what looks like a nice day, to do some tabling out in the park! Come by and say hello!
We will be at Rafferty Park:
Tuesday, May 7
3:30PM to 5:00PM
We'll be conducting the same exercises that we did at the community meeting.
Community meetings and tabling events are not the only spaces we hope to be gathering feedback. We’ve also launched a next project survey that asks similar questions to the exercises at the meeting. We encourage you to view our presentation recording, as we think it provides project background and context to inform your feedback.
Click here to take our next project survey!
Slides from April 24, 2024 Community Meeting
Click here to view slides presented at the April 24, 2024 community meeting.
Click here to watch an abbreviated recording of the presentation given at the community meeting. This was recorded separately from the meeting itself, and we wanted to have a resource available to provide an overview of the project for anybody that may not have been able to attend the community meeting.
Slides from April 24, 2024 Community Meeting
Click here to view slides presented at the April 24, 2024 community meeting.
A recording of the presentation material (recorded separately) and follow-up survey will be available this week.
Community Meeting for Rafferty Park Renovation
Please join us for a kickoff meeting for the Rafferty Park renovation project!
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Community Room at Finch Cambridge
(675 Concord Avenue, Cambridge)
During this first meeting, we hope we will learn from each other to shape a successful park and project.
At this meeting, we will:
- Introduce the project team
- Share a conversation about community engagement
- Give an overview of the project, including project schedule and City parks goals
- Review early site analysis from the project team
- Host a series of exercises to hear your ideas for the park!
We encourage you to join us! We are excited to meet you in person, and think this is a great way to connect with and hear from neighbors!
Refreshments will be provided. Please note, on-site parking is not available.
Can't make it?
If you are not able to attend, a recording of the presentation and a follow-up survey will be available. We will also have virtual office hours available if you have any questions about the project.
Share Your Ideas and Experiences with Us!
We've launched the first survey for our project! The goal of this survey is to begin to understand who is using the park, how you are using it, what you like about it, and ideas for improvement.
You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/raffertypark1.
Sign up for Project Email Updates!
You can sign up for project updates via email here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/DC5H6cO.
Anticipated general project timeline (as of Spring 2024):
- Spring/Summer 2024: Concept Design
- Fall/Winter 2024/25: Construction Documentation and Project Bid
- Spring/Summer 2025: Construction Begins (approximately 12-16 months)
This anticipated timeline will be updated as the project advances and milestones are reached.
Project Phases
The park design and construction process will be a multi-year process, and different parts of the project will have different goals. We've broken this out into phases so you know what to expect at different stages of the project and the key questions we're trying to learn answers to.
Phase 1: Introduction [March and April 2024]
At this part of the project, we want to let people know the park project is starting! We want to start our learning and listening process to begin to understand the park as it is today and what we'd like it to become.
Phase 2: Goal-Setting [April and May 2024]
In this part of the project, we want to figure out what activities we’d like the park to have. What should it include? Play areas? Open field for sports? What do we want the space to feel like?
We’ll talk a bit too about how the City thinks about parks as important spaces for community life. While we’re excited to hear about specific things you’re interested in (swings? slides? soccer goals?), our big goal for this part of the project is get an idea of the activities you’d like the park to support.
Here’s what we’re trying to learn from you:
- How do you use the park (or if you don’t, why not?)?
- What do you like about the park today? How could it improve?
- What activities are you excited about?
- What activities do you think your neighbors would be excited about?
Phase 3: Conceptual Design [May and June 2024]
We'll come back to you with some ideas of how different pieces can fit together. This is a great time to hear specific things you're interested in!
By the end of this phase, we want to have the goals of the project and big decisions that we’ve made together to be very clear. That way, as we work on all the little details, we know what kind of park we are trying to create.
Phase 4: Drawing up the Plans! [July through Winter/Spring 2025]
In this phase, the team will be turning the concepts we talked about into construction plans. That step takes a long time, and we'll have some ways to share our progress and what that process looks like.
Phase 5: Construction [TBD]
We’re almost there! At this point, we want to make sure you stay informed about our progress. And as we get close to the project being completed, we want to get ready to celebrate the new park!