Arboretum Park Conservancy

1. IN THE PAST YEAR, THE ARBORETUM PARK CONSERVANCY (APC) HAS CONTINUED TO ADVOCATE FOR EXPANDING THE ROSLINDALE GATEWAY PATH SYSTEM IN THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM AND FOR INCREASING THE NUMBER OF WELCOMING ENTRANCES THERE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES IN THE UNDERSERVED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE NEIGHBORHOODS ADJACENT TO THE ARBORETUM PARKLAND IN JAMAICA PLAIN AND ROSLINDALE, TWO BOSTON NEIGHBORHOODS. THERE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON FOUR OF THESE PROJECTS IN THE PAST YEAR. THE APC HAS COLLABORATED WITH THE ARBORETUM AND OUR MUNICIPAL AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS ON THE ROSLINDALE GATEWAY PATH PROJECT. THIS PROPOSED ADA-ACCESSIBLE SHARED-USE, PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING PATH WILL EXTEND THE SOUTHWEST CORRIDOR PATH FROM THE FOREST HILLS MBTA STATION TO THE ROSLINDALE VILLAGE COMMUTER RAIL STATION, PROVIDING A CARBON-FREE COMMUTING OPTION AND CONNECTING BOSTONIANS WITH THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES. TWO NEW ENTRANCES TO THE ARBORETUM WILL PROVIDE WELCOMING ACCESS TO BOSTON'S EMERALD NECKLACE SYSTEM OF PARKS DESIGNED BY FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED.2. THE ARBORETUM HIRED NITSCH ENGINEERING TO EVALUATE SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES FOR SOUTH STREET BETWEEN BUSSEY STREET AND ARCHDALE ROAD TO FURTHER THE "GREEN LINK" BETWEEN FOREST HILLS AND ROSLINDALE VILLAGE COMMUTER RAIL STATIONS. THE COMPLETED STUDY INCLUDES DESIGN ALTERNATIVES THAT WOULD IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY,ACCESS, AND SAFETY FOR PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS AND COMPLEMENT THE ARBORETUM ENTRANCE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECTS AND THE CITY OF BOSTON'S NEIGHBORHOOD SLOW STREETS INITIATIVE. THE STUDY SHOWS HOW TO FORMALIZE AN ARBORETUM ENTRANCE FOR ROSLINDALE RESIDENTS AT THE HISTORIC MBTA STONE ARCHWAY.3. CONSTRUCTION OF THE BLACKWELL PATH EXTENSION IN THE BUSSEY BROOK MEADOW SECTION OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM AND STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENTS FOR ARBORETUM ROAD BEGAN INFY 2023. THESE TWO PROJECTS WILL CONNECT TO EACH OTHER. IN THE PAST YEAR, THE BOSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT (BPWD) HAS INSTALLED ADA-COMPLIANT SIDEWALKS TO BOTH SIDES OF ARBORETUM ROAD THAT WILL PROVIDE AN ACCESSIBLE WAY TO THE ENTRANCE TO THE BLACKWELL PATH EXTENSION AT THE END OF ARBORETUM ROAD. BPWD HAS REMOVED PARKING FROM THE STREET AND PLANS TO PLANT NATIVE TREES ALONG THE REPAVED ROAD. THE PATH EXTENSION IS 90% COMPLETE.4. THE ARBORETUM HAS COMPLETED 75% DESIGN OF THE UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE CANOPY WALK, AN IMPORTANT PHASE IN THIS PROJECT TO EXPAND THE PATH SYSTEM. THIS UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE CANOPY WALK WILL PASS OVER A LARGE STORMWATER BASIN BETWEEN TREES IN THE NARROWEST PART OF THE BUSSEY BROOK MEADOW AND WILL CONNECT MEADOW VISITORS TO PETERS HILL. THE NEW CANOPY WALK WILL ALSO CONNECT TO THE BLACKWELL PATH EXTENSION AND ARBORETUM ROAD AND WILL PROVIDE ACCESS FOR ADDITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS TO OTHER PARTS OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM. THE ARBORETUM IS RAISING FUNDS TO PAY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CANOPY WALK.5. THE CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTS FOR THE WASHINGTON STREET GATE IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE 100% COMPLETE IN JULY 2024. THE ARBORETUM PARK CONSERVANCY AGREED TO FUND TWO NEW INTERPRETIVE SIGNS FOR THE SOUTH STREET AND THE WASHINGTON STREET ENTRANCES. QR CODES ON EACH SIGN WILL CONNECT VISITORS TO THE ARBORETUM'S EXPEDITIONS MOBILE TOUR.6. THE APC HAS COORDINATED WITH THE ARBORETUM, THE BOSTON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT, THE BOSTON CONSERVATION COMMISSION, THE BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT (BTD), THE BOSTON PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT (BPWD), THE MBTA, WALKUP ROSLINDALE, ROZZIE BIKES, AND THE LIVABLE STREET ALLIANCE/EMERALD NETWORK.