FoMCP: Important news City of Woburn approves purchase of Whispering Hill Woods, also events, and meeting Monday, June 21st

Dear Friends,

We have had much happen this past month:

City of Woburn passed Meal Tax of 3/4 of 1%, to secure revenue necessary for purchase of Whispering Hill Woods and Spence Farm land

City of Woburn appropriated $7M for purchase of Whispering Hill Woods and entered into an agreement with Northeastern University to buy 75-acre Whispering Hill Wood, with expected closing in September

City of Woburn appropriated $2.7M for purchase of 7.5-acre farm stand part of Spence Farm and exercised its option of first refusal, expecting to close in September

The Lantern Walk on May 30th was during a beautiful, clear sunset with a large turnout estimated at 200 people

Also, Burlington Town Meeting approved $250,000 for the creation of a multipurpose field at Babylon Hill Field. Attached is the latest map for Mary Cummings Park, showing Babylon Hill in the northeastern part of the park. Also attached is the latest available concept for the multipurpose field, overlaid on an image of Babylon Hill Field. We have various concerns which will need to be addressed:

Impacts to wildlife and the park due to the effective elimination of one of the last two meadows in Burlington

Loss of trees along Blanchard Road, which provide a visual and sound barrier to traffic and provide nesting area

Elimination of the possibility of rebuilding a structure for bathrooms and shelter for visitors and park programs

The need for public review and for public meetings conducted by the City of Boston and the Town of Burlington

Our monthly meeting is this Monday, June 21st, at the Burlington Public Library, 22 Sears Street, Burlington, from 7:00-8:30 pm. Meetings are on the third Monday of the month, unless that Monday is a holiday, in which case it is on the following Monday.

Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities:
Thursday, June 24th, 6-7:30pm (flier attached) "Mary Cummings Park: Towards a Greater Boston", West End Branch Library, 151 Cambridge Street, Boston, phone 617-523-3957
Saturday, July 24th, 9:30am-1:30pm, Winchester's Farmer's Market, Winchester Town Common, http://www.winchesterfarmersmarket.org/
At Monday's meeting, we will be discussing and coordinating work relative to:

Whispering Hill Woods:

celebration of purchase of Whispering Hill Woods, expected to be completed at the end of this summer
Babylon Hill Field:

agreement between Boston and Burlington for multipurpose fields at Babylon Hill Field
environmental impact of multipurpose fields to meadow and species at Babylon Hill Field

Open Space:
proposed development of 13.5-acre Muller Glen abutting Mary Cummings Park in Burlington (see attached map); developer is seeking to construct 83-unit subdivision in Muller Glen
remaining open space contiguous with Park in Woburn

Committees:
trail projects
gardening
coordination of events over the summer
photo contest
Community involvement is critical to our collective success in better establishing Mary Cummings Park as a regional park. The combined parkland of Mary Cummings Park and Whispering Hill Woods will be, at over 285 acres, the 10th-largest public parkland inside of Route 128. Thank you for your participation and support.

Best regards,

Steven

Steven Keleti
President, Friends of Mary Cummings Park