Newsletter #30 Sept. 26, 2023

Newsletter #30September 26, 2023       http://alewife.org

This ASG Newsletter includes the following updates:

• Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning Committee Meeting to discuss Jerry’s Pond improvements on September 27
• IQHQ plans for Jerry’s Pond
• ASG Role with IQHQ and the community
• Preliminary Report from ASG surveys
• ANI Wetlands Study
• ASG suggested improvements to IQHQ’s Jerry’s Pond plans

Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning (NLTP) Committee Meeting about Jerry’s Pond Rindge Avenue improvements 

Wednesday, September 27, 5:30 to 7:30pm, in person and via Zoom

Click here for meeting details and public comment sign-up

The main purpose of the meeting will be to discuss the future treatment of Jerry’s Pond, specifically improving the Rindge Avenue edge and effects on the community.  ASG expects that IQHQ, City of Cambridge staff, Friends of Jerry’s Pond (FOJP) and the Alewife Study Group (ASG) will present during the first part of this meeting, and that public comment will happen after the presentations.

This meeting is a follow-up to a City Council meeting on April 24 of this year.  At the meeting, City Manager Yi-an Huang and other city staff reported on the results of the Jerry’s Pond Improvements Design Review Study commissioned by the City Manager.  The Design Review compared the  plans for improvements to Jerry’s Pond put forward by IQHQ and by Friend’s of Jerry’s Pond.  The City Council then referred this item to the NLTP Committee for further discussion.  The Executive Summary and summary poster from the Design Review are available on the ASG website at:alewife.org/category/jerrys-pond

If you would like the full Design Review report (429 pages), contact ASG at alewife.org/contact

IQHQ plans for Jerry’s Pond

IQHQ purchased the former W.R. Grace and One Alewife properties in North Cambridge in 2020.  To see overall information about IQHQ’s plans, including for Jerry’s Pond, go to iqhqcommunityprocess.com, and visit the About the Project Section.

At the NLTP committee meeting tomorrow, ASG expects that IQHQ will review their plans for improving the Jerry’s Pond area, including any recent revisions.

ASG’s Role with IQHQ and the Community

Over the last two-and-a-half years, ASG has facilitated over 60 meetings along with IQHQ, FOJP, Mass Audubon, and sometimes other groups or city staff, to review and strengthen the community benefits of the IQHQ development, including at Jerry’s Pond.  ASG has also held many meetings large and small to inform and listen to the community about the IQHQ development.  ASG would share residents’ ideas and concerns with IQHQ, as well as ASG’s ideas from 28 years of very active involvement with the Grace, now IQHQ site, Russell Field, and the nearby area.

Preliminary Report from ASG Surveys

Over the last year, members of ASG have conducted in-person, face to face interviews with 225 people (77 from Rindge Avenue and 148 others from North Cambridge and beyond) about the paths in our neighborhood, including a possible pedestrian/bike crossing to Danehy, and about preferences at Jerry’s Pond and for neighborhood investment.  

Of the people who live on Rindge Ave, 82% get to Danehy Park only by walking, and 96% would use Danehy Park more with a commuter rail crossing directly to the park.

Of the various options presented for Rindge Avenue along Jerry’s Pond, two items were tied for the top as very important by Rindge Avenue residents – a better view of the pond from Rindge Avenue and improvements in crosswalks for crossing Rindge Avenue.

Some results from these discussions are summarized here: ASG Survey Report

Alewife Neighbors, Inc. Wetlands Study

Alewife Neighbors, Inc., (ANI) is a non-profit neighborhood group that hires scientific consultants for independent neighborhood studies to help the community understand issues.  During the March 5, 2021 site visit to check the wetlands delineation around Jerry’s Pond, ANI was allowed permission to have an independent consultant join the environmental consultants hired by the Conservation Commission and IQHQ.  ANI hired well-respected wetlands expert Matt Schweisberg (who serves on the Board of Directors for the Society of Wetland Scientists and National Association of Wetland Managers (ex-officio), and was formerly on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissioners), to help determine the wetland boundaries and to observe the entire area around Jerry’s Pond from within the fenced area.  He provided a report of his findings.

Mr. Schweisberg felt that because of the past and present conditions of the area, there was a limit of how much ecological improvement could be gained in the area, and “nearly every action will result in a trade-off between benefits for humans and benefits for wildlife.” The only underlined portion of his summary was: “As for Jerry’s Pond, the more it gets “messed with,” the longer it will take to recover, and the greater the risk that it might never recover.”

You can read the memo at: ANI Wetlands Study of Jerry’s Pond

ASG Suggested Improvements to IQHQ’s Jerry’s Pond plans

As of September 26, 2023

Better support for existing trees, plant a few more new trees  and other vegetation, along Rindge Avenue, to increase canopy, reduce heat, and to increase the feel of being in nature.

• One possible way to achieve this goal is to add a retaining wall at or close to the shore line, probably under the boardwalk, and then fill in the area between the retaining wall and the existing grade along Rindge Avenue.
• If soil is added to the Rindge Avenue border of the pond, and therefore compensatory flood storage needs to be created in another location of the pond, consider removing one or more large sections of concrete along the shore of the pond as part of creating this compensatory flood storage.  This could be a win-win solution (achieving required floor storage and making part of the shoreline more natural). 

Separated bike and pedestrian paths along Rindge Avenue, in addition to the boardwalk close to the pond.  The IQHQ plan currently calls for a 10 foot wide multi-modal path.

• Having separated bike and pedestrian paths along Ridge Avenue would reduce bike-pedestrian conflicts in that area.  And, it would reduce the number of bicycles using Russell Field paths.  Taking a dedicated bike path along Rindge Avenue and then along Alewife Brook Parkway would be a more attractive option to bike riders going between Rindge Avenue and the Alewife T Station, Minuteman Path, Alewife Reservation or Discovery Park.  Both of these effects would increase safety and the feeling of safety for pedestrians along the Jerry’s Pond section of Rindge Avenue and on the Russell paths.
• ASG believes that it could be feasible to construct an 8 foot wide two-way bike path and a 5 foot wide sidewalk along the Jerry’s Pond section of Rindge Avenue.  This is the same arrangement and dimensions as the section of Fresh Pond Parkway between New Street and the Concord Avenue Rotary.
• Enough room for the sidewalk described above and bike path might be achieved by moving 2 or 3 of the utility poles, and associated wires, from the pond side of Rindge Avenue to the other side of the street.   No electrical service or other utilities are needed on the pond side along that section of Rindge Avenue.  And, there are already some utility poles on the other side of Rindge Avenue.
• Building a retaining wall, as described above, might also contribute to creating enough room for separated bike and pedestrian paths.

Lower the boardwalk along the Rindge Avenue portion of the pond, while keeping the slope of boardwalks leading to this boardwalk ADA compliant, in order to increase the view of the pond from along and close to Rindge Avenue.

Construct one or two raised crosswalks along Rindge Avenue to provide safer crossing for pedestrians and prevent vehicles from speeding in a section where many, many people, including many, many children need to cross the street.

• One raised crosswalk might be at the entrance to 402 Rindge Avenue
• Another raised crosswalk might be either at the entrance to Fresh Pond Apartments (362-364 Rindge Avenue) or near the entrance to the Comeau Field and the 83 bus turnaround.
• The above locations are where a lot of people would want to cross, because of the very large number of residences there and the heavy use of the Russell Field complex and the bus stop.
• Locating the raised crossed walks at or near the entrances to Fresh Pond Apartments and 402 Rindge Avenue would also provide a break in traffic, making it easier for residents of these buildings to enter and exit by car on this busy street.
• If the City of Cambridge is able to construct a pedestrian and bicycle crossing between the Ridge Avenue area and Danehy Park, under or over the commuter rails tracks, it would be good to coordinate the location of one or both of these crosswalks with the access path(s) to the community rail crossing.

Safe removal (under the Activity Use Limitation and the Asbestos Protection Ordinance) of significant amounts of the asphalt in the southwest area, followed by safe planting of native trees and other vegetation.

Safe planting of native trees and other vegetation in the southwest area that IQHQ will be using for compensatory flood storage to save trees in the development area.

Remove invasive plants in and around Jerry’s Pond, both during and after (on a regular basis) construction of improvements

Improve implementation of maintenance around the pond, beginning now.  For example, proactively pick up trash, and remove poison ivy along Rindge Ave sidewalk as often as needed.