NOVEMBER 2024
Rafferty Park Design Development News
Interested in learning more or have questions about the renovation plan during the design development phase? There are two upcoming events where you can learn more:
- Public Planting Committee on Wednesday, November 13, from 5:30 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at DPW Frazier Building Conference Room or virtually. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Info here.
- SAVE THE DATE - Virtual Open House Q&A on Thursday, December 5, noon - 1 P.M. Zoom meeting details to follow.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Over the next few months, the design team will work to advance the Design Development Plans into a set of construction documents and final cost estimate. During the design development phase:
The project team anticipates the final construction drawings and specifications will be released for bidders in early 2025 with construction following in the spring / summer of 2025. We will keep you posted as schedules are refined and we prepare to get a contractor on board.
What does Design Development mean?
During design development, the vision and design concept established during schematic design is analyzed in detail to ensure the design and cost is achievable. Technical documents are set up to begin laying out exact locations of pathways, play equipment, and infrastructure like drainage and utilities. Planting plans are developed with specific plant species and locations. Geotechnical information is incorporated to ensure foundations and site drainage are detailed correctly. Construction phasing and other site demolition strategies will be evaluated.
What comes next?
The final phase in a design project is the construction or bid document phase. During the construction document phase the design development documents are refined for the last time and a final cost estimate is prepared. The construction documents will be packaged up with specifications and released to contractors with an invitation to prepare a bid for construction, called an Invitation for Bid (IFB). The project team expects the bid process to take place in early 2025, with construction following in the spring of 2025. It is anticipated that construction will last at 12-18 months.
SEPTEMBER 2024
RESCHEDULED: Tabling in the Park and Meet the Artist!
Due to rain in the forecast, we will be postponing our Tabling in the Park and Meet the Artist event. The event has been rescheduled to:
- Monday, September 23 from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Rafferty Park
We will still be holding our Virtual Open House as planned:
- Virtual Open House: project staff will be available on Zoom to answer questions about the plan and next steps. Drop in anytime during the session!
Thursday, September 19, from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Join the meeting (password: Rafferty).
Rafferty Park Renovation Plan (Schematic Design Plan) - September 2024
We are excited to share our Rafferty Park Renovation Plan!
Thank you all for participating in the community process thus far and submitting feedback! The feedback we received on "The Wave" and "The Cube" were assessed and incorporated into a refined hybrid plan that will be further detailed and developed into construction documents.
We will be holding two upcoming events to mark this milestone, and to answer any questions you may have about the plan or next steps in the process. All are welcome!
- Virtual Open House: project staff will be available on Zoom to answer questions about the plan and next steps. Drop in anytime during the session!
Thursday, September 19, from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.
Join the meeting (password: Rafferty).
- Tabling in the Park and Meet the Artist! at Rafferty Park
POSTPONED to 9/23 (formerly Thursday, September 19 from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.)
We are excited to be working with Thomas Berger, who has been selected as the public artist for this project. Thomas is a sculptor based in Kittery, ME, who works with large blocks of stone. Check out his artwork here: www.thomasbergersculpture.com, and come meet Thomas in person at Rafferty Park! Project staff will also be on hand to answer questions about the Renovation Plan and next steps.
Looking Ahead:
The Renovation Plan is currently at the "Schematic Design" level of detail.
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What does Schematic Design mean?
Schematic design typically refers to the stage of a project when ideas and feedback from the design concepts, as well as the needs and requirements from the City are resolved into a singular landscape design plan. This is then further developed for construction. At this juncture, the project has identified the major key features that will be a part of the park, and the team is transitioning their work into the more detailed and technical aspects of the project.
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Over the next several months, the design team will work to advance the plan into a set of more detailed construction documents and cost estimates. During this phase, each component of the schematic design will be detailed and drawn out so a contractor will be able to build the new park, as well as work to ensure project costs stay within the budget.
We will continue to share updates and hold virtual Q&A sessions with the project team at project milestones as we continue to work through this process.
The team anticipates the final construction drawings and specifications will be released for the public bid process in early 2025, with construction following in the spring / summer of 2025.
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Key:
- General layout from “the Cube” design with the accessible loop pathway from “the Wave” design.
- New playground equipment, with a focus on natural materials, will include a landform play area, sand play, a cube climber, monkey bars, swings, and net tunnel.
- A cooling mist water play with adjacent rain gardens to collect and infiltrate water.
- A multi-sport, hard court area that will allow both basketball and tennis.
- A Gaga Pit for children to play Gaga Ball. A first for the City of Cambridge.
- Free play and areas to relax in the existing woodland nook.
- A large lawn area for field sports and activities.
- Expanded areas all around the park for seating, lounging, and a central communal table area.
- The planting design includes a focus on native plants, keeping existing trees, and allowing moments for people to explore and interact with nature.
- A location for a future connection to the Alewife Quadrangle.
- Improved public access from Concord Avenue to the park entrance.
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Morning Pop-Up in the Park and Project Survey!
Start your day in Rafferty Park and check out the preliminary design concepts for the renovation work. We would love to hear your feedback!
We will be at Rafferty Park:
Monday, July 15
8:00AM to 10:00AM
We will show the two design concepts that were shared at the Community Meeting on June 11th.
We would love to hear how you use the park and how the renovation project can make Rafferty Park a great neighborhood park. Learn about the concepts, share what ideas you like, and ask any questions you might have about the park renovation!
If you can’t make it, don’t worry! You can also share your feedback on these concepts through our online project survey.
Click here to take our survey on the design concepts!
Zoom Discussion and Survey on Design Concepts
Join us on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from 12pm to 1pm for a Zoom discussion about the design concepts. The design team will facilitate a discussion about the design concepts (similar to the discussion portion of our June 11 community meeting). We look forward to hearing your feedback!
Click here to register for the Zoom meeting!
Please watch the presentation recording ahead of this discussion. Passcode: #H0vfe2R
We also have a new project survey available for you to share your feedback about the design concepts.
Materials from June 11, 2024 Community Meeting
Click here to watch a recording of the presentation given at the June 11 community meeting. The passcode (if needed) is: #H0vfe2R
Click here to view slides presented at the June 11, 2024 community meeting.
Click here to view the conceptual design boards shown at the June 11, 2024 community meeting. We will be using these conceptual design boards for other community engagement following the meeting.
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.
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!