Requesting authorization to seek funding and enter into related agreements with the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant, appropriate funding, and dedicate 217 Somerville Avenue as open space and recreational use in perpetuity.

To the Honorable City Council: I respectfully request that you approve an authorization for the City to apply for a Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) grant from the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, through its Division of Conservation Services, to receive funds to assist in the design and construction of 217 Somerville Avenue Park. The City owns the land by virtue of a sale of the property by Somerville Memorial Post No. 447, The American Legion Inc. from a deed dated 11/04/2019 as recorded in the Middlesex County (Southern District) Registry of Deeds in Book 73774, Page 428. 217. Somerville Avenue Park will be dedicated to park and recreational use in perpetuity according to M.G.L.c. 45, section 3; by the City upon signing the grant contract. The estimated total project cost is approximately $1,500,000.00 and the Administration seeks the maximum grant amount of $500,000.00 from the state’s PARC grant program. The PARC grant program is a reimbursement program requiring applicant municipalities to appropriate the total project cost in order to be eligible. This vote serves as the City Council’s commitment to appropriate the total project cost. The proposed grant funding will be used for the construction of a new pocket park along Somerville Avenue in the eastern portion of Union Square. The funds will be used in FY25 to install features such as passive recreation amenities, like benches and tables, playground and spray features, and green infrastructure and stormwater management best practices. The PARC grant application is due on July 13th, 2023, to qualify for FY24 grant round. Since this is reimbursement funding, the City hereby assures the State that we have the funds to finance the construction of 217 Somerville Avenue Park and will provide the State with the appropriate documentation for reimbursement. Therefore, I request approval of the following. Appropriate staff will be available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for your consideration of this item. Respectfully submitted, Katjana Ballantyne, Mayor