Carlton Street Footbridge

Contingency Appropriation to Restore
the Carlton Street Entrance to Riverway Park

ARTICLE 5 (click here to download the warrant article explanation)
To see if the Town will raise and appropriate a total of $1,400,000, or any other sum, by tax levy, by transfer from an existing appropriation, by borrowing, or by any combination of these, for the restoration of the Carlton Street entrance to Riverway Park; such restoration to be completed in accordance with the schedule submitted with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by a majority of the Board of Selectmen on July 14, 2009, and any amendments to that schedule approved by the Commonwealth; such restoration to be carried out in accordance with the requirements of the certificates of the Secretary of Environmental Affairs dated April 16, 2002, May 1, 2003, and April 1, 2005, issued for the Muddy River Restoration Project (EOEEA No. 11865), in consultation with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Massachusetts Architectural Access Board; such funds to be expended under the direction of the Commissioner of Public Works with the approval of the Board of Selectmen; provided that such appropriation shall be reduced by the amount of any third-party funding for such purpose; or act on anything relative thereto.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Article authorizes the appropriation of $1.4 million, to be expended if required, for the restoration of the C l Carlton Street entrance, including its footbridge, to the Riverway Park. This amount reflects the Town Engineer’s best estimate of the current cost, plus contingencies and an annual cost escalation.

The restoration of the park entrance is a component of the Muddy River Restoration Project, a project that will remove the threat of flooding from a number of Brookline precincts. The goals of this $91 million project -- 98.2% of which is funded by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Commonwealth, and Boston -- include flood control, improved water quality, landscape restoration, habitat enhancement, and historic restoration of the Muddy River portion of Olmsted's Emerald Necklace, a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places It includes the 1996 flooding in Olmsted Park. Water level was 11 feet above normal Places. dredging and removal of sediment and contaminated soil from Leverett and Willow Ponds, which is estimated to cost $8 million and which the Town would be otherwise required to carry out at its own expense.

As one element of the restoration of the park's historic features, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs has D d i ill 23 900 bi d required that Brookline renovate and reopen its Carlton Street entrance to Riverway Park - the Footbridge.

The Town has estimated its costs, including those for handicapped access, contingencies and cost escalation, to be $1.4 million. The Town intends to submit an application to Metropolitan Area Planning Council to defray the costs of restoration.