Town of Arlington, Department of Planning and Community Development, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476
tel. (781) 316-3090 fax (781) 316-3019
Report to Town Meeting
Status of the Reed’s Brook Project
April, 2003
The first phase of the Reed’s Brook project is nearly complete and plans have been submitted to the State Department of Environmental Protection for its approval of the second phase. We expect second phase construction to begin this summer.
The first phase is the storm drain improvements and the shaping of the earthform to accommodate the park facilities which will be constructed in the second phase. Over 95,000 cubic yards of material most of which was trash was excavated and placed elsewhere on the site to construct the three acre detention basin which collects the storm drainage from the surrounding neighborhood. The detention basin contains a permanent pond, pictured below, which provides a focal point for the conservation oriented portion of the site. The portion closer to Summer Street is more recreation oriented and will include two soccer/football fields, a Little League baseball field, a dog park, a skateboard park, two tot lots and a community garden.
Most of the remaining work for the first phase contractor is off-site - paving streets and landscaping in private yards on Thesda Street. This work will take place in May when the ground is suitable for such work. On-site, the contractor must plant the wetland replication area. Because of the nature of the plants, that work cannot be done until May 1st.
The second phase work will include a massive amount of earth moving as most of the site will receive another two feet of clean cover material. Then follows the planting of trees, shrubs and grasses and the construction of the recreation facilities. Most of this work will be completed this fall, but certain plantings must be done in the spring of 2004. After that, the grasses will have to grow and mature before the playing fields are ready to be used.
The project will end up costing over $7 million, all of which will come from prior years’ budgets or grants. The majority of the cost is borne by the people of Arlington who voted in 1997 to appropriate $4,780,000 to remove the flooding and environmental threats and create the park. Over the years, beginning in 1994, the Town has received $1,219,500 in Federal CDBG funds for the project. The federal government also provided flood mitigation funds in the amount of $588,883 and later increased the funding to $733,887. Mass Highway provided $450,000 to cover the cost of the storm drain that serves Summer Street because it is a State highway. The costs have increased markedly since the project was delayed by litigation in 1997. We continue to seek other funds to cover the increases. Just this month we received confirmation that our
application for increased Mass Highway funds was approved to make the State total $678,316. We will not ask the Town of Arlington for more funds.
Reed's Brook Site Plan (1997):
| 
