The Charles River Watershed Association reports that a bill was quietly enacted by the state legislature at the end of the last legislative session. The bill allows (but does not require) the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to enter into a long term lease with Simmons College to build a high intensity sports complex on 7+ acres of public riverfront land beside the ice skating rink on Nonantum road.
The deal would give give Simmons College, Brighton High School, and Allston-Brighton Little League exclusive use of the fields during all prime recreation time. Most of the parcel is in Brighton but a corner of it is in Newton.
The DCR will host a “listening session” for the public this Thursday, May 30, 6:30 – 8PM at the Community Rowing Boathouse, 20 Nonantum Rd, Brighton
This field could definitely use some attention, but only $500k for a 30-year lease sounds almost criminal. This would also have a catastrophic traffic impact if the field becomes a major Simmons venue. I hope the DCR will leave it in public hands.
As the CWRA pointed out in their comments:
The DCR has spent the last 20 or more years doing a great job of stitching the riverfront from Auburndale to the Science Museum back together again. This seems like a giant step in the wrong direction.
I walk this stretch of Nonantum Rd. daily. Over the past several years the State has awarded otherwise vacant land to Community Rowing which has built a fabulous and very well-used facility; and maintains the public access boat ramp. The State has also turned over the Msgr. Daly Skating Rink to Newton Country Day School which has maintained public skating access daily and on weekends in addition to letting out ice time to other schools and colleges in the area.
The site potentially available to Simmons College has generally been used for twilight softball and weekend soccer, but is otherwise a feeding site for Canada geese. Years ago, when I managed a soccer team in a corporate league I looked into using the field. Because it had been designated a “stadium” (because it had lights) the MDC wanted $175 per game to use the field – day or night. Obviously, no one took them up on it and it sat idle.
No one else seems to want the space, why not let Simmons develop it with community input to ensure local access. Given how little that access has been, that should be fine.
And what’s to become of the MDC Swimming Pool at the corner of Brooks Street? That would be the crown to a magnificent neighborhood sports complex.
@Y – a major Simmons venue? Major at what? The recent redesign of Nonantum Road has been a wonderful traffic management success. I’m confident that any increase field use can be handled without catastrophy.
@Max Goldsmith – I think the Community Rowing facility was a great idea. It’s opened up recreational activities on the river and leveraged private funding to do it – great.
This project seems like a different kettle of fish. The proposed sports complex has nothing to do with the river and could be located anywhere. The scale of it, as best as I can see from the drawings, would completely cut you off from the river. The terms that are being proposed would give the general public very secondary access to the facilities. The design of it (see my last comment above) is completely at odds with the DCR’s own vision for the property.
The whole thing, and the way it seems to be unfolding, smacks of somebody making a deal rather than as a way for the DCR to fulfill it’s public mission.
I have no problem with public entities using private money and resources to efficiently further their goals. I have a major problem though with private entities commandeering public resources to further their own goals at the expense of the public goals. From what little I know so far, this smells like one of those.
I hope to attend the meeting to find out more.
I tend to agree with Jerry here. While I am sympathetic to the needs for athletic facilities for both Simmons (my Alma Mata) and BHS, I am concerned about the process that is authorizing this transfer of valuable, riverfront public property to private hands, that will significantly limit public use for much of the year.
My understanding is that this law was passed before any public meetings or environmental review. The land is being leased for 30 years for a one time payment of $500,000. That’s about $1,400 month for near exclusive use of the Park.
The failure of DCR to maintain its property, is not reason enough to sell out to the highest bidder. But what is really galling is that the public was not included in a decision that will have the effect of shutting out public use for years to come.
I am not necessarily opposed to some kind of public-private partnership that could improve the park, maximize its use and allow public access to the River. But the plan so far in place is not a partnership, but a takeover.
Jerry, if you made it to the listening session on Thursday I would be interested in hearing about it.
I understand Jerry’s concerns, but the river is not really accessible at that point. I use the bike path as my ride to work and I rarely see people using the parking lot near the fields for access to the river. Its use today is primarily as a poorly maintained sports facility. So it doesn’t really change uses all that much.
However, Simmons should be giving back by extending the river walk started by Community Rowing. Also, I’ve often felt that more people would bike to work if they could drive to that point in the river, leave their cars and bike to their jobs in Cambridge and Boston. It may make for an interesting bike-share commuter lot in addition to a sports facility.
My biggest issue with the river ride isn’t the uses along the riverfront, but the street crossings. Another place that Simmons could “give back” in exchange for the land is fixing the horrible intersection just a few hundred feet away.
I agree that the “process” smells like a back-room bag job. That said, I tend to agree with Chuck that this portion of the riverfront doesn’t beg for a lot of access and while Jerry suggests that Simmons’ athletic fields could be built “anywhere” there are not that many 7 acre parcels just anywhere.
As for access to the river, first you’ve got the Newton Yacht Club restricting access starting at Charlesbank Road, then after 100 yards or so of “greenspace” (swampy) there is the skating rink that backs up to the river. Assuming that the “Simmons parcel” allows a riverside pathway, there is then the public boat launch and then Community Rowing. Not exactly accessible now, so I’m not going to blame this new situation as interfering with access.
The newly re-paved bike path/walkway adjacent to Nonantum Road is well utilized and is also plowed adequately in winter. Unless someone is proposing a swimming beach along the river’s edge, which would really be cool, I’m OK with this situation.
The environmental impact, parking and public safety are still issues for me this plan. Plus the whole process fails the “sniff” test.
Remember “underutilized” areas serves as an important function as a place where storm water can be retained and minimize runoff into the river. Non-point source runoff from roads and parking lots are the plague of our surface waters.
We can do better.