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Hello All,

The Fernald Use Committee of the City Council is having two special meetings for public input. The first is to be held Wednesday June 8^th at 6:30PM, at the City Council Chambers in City Hall (610 Main Street). The second meeting is scheduled for June 22^nd.

We hope you are able to attend either or both of these public meetings, not only to voice your hopes and concerns concerning the Fernald site, but also to hear comments from other residents and organizations! On June 8^th before the first public meeting, the Fernald Working Group will be meeting at City Hall at 6pm to discuss what our public comments will include. Anyone is welcome to join us for this quick debriefing as well.

Hope to see you soon!

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our open house!

One purpose of the open house was to encourage an open community process when it comes to planning for the Fernald site. For this reason we had a survey at the event to give neighbors the opportunity to give their opinions on the future of Fernald.

If you were not able to attend the Open House last week, or did attend but did not take our survey, we would still love your input! Please see the link below to fill out of brief survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9H8DH2S

Thank you again to all who made the Fernald Working Group Spring 2016 Open House a success! And stay tuned for more events in the Fall!

The Fernald Working Group hopes you can join us for our Spring Open House!

Stop by anytime between 6 and 8pm to learn more about what is going on at the Fernald!

Located at the VFW Post 10334, 623 Trapelo Rd, Waltham, MA. Parking is available in the back.

We hope to see you at the Fernald Working Group Spring Open House May 4th!

Don’t forget to invite your friends, family, and neighbors!

The holiday season is a time to reflect and document the accomplishments of the last year. And, boy, do we have a lot to celebrate!

In the last 6 months, we’ve continued to convey our message of information transparency and community planning.

Since the Visioning Charrette at the end of May, the Fernald Working Group has grown and molded our message, and this has resulted in an increase in media attention. We took this fall’s election as an opportunity to push our elected officials to express their thoughts on Fernald. In doing so, we established a relationship with the new editorial team at the Tribune, and reaffirmed our leadership and expertise on all the various facets of Fernald. The Letter to the Editor published in June, and subsequent interviews that the Tribune conducted were an example of the success of this effort.

In the coming year we plan to continue to inform and engage the citizens of Waltham and the surrounding region on the Fernald, engaging with town government and elected officials to:

• Continue to press for a Comprehensive Strategic Plan for the site
• Continue to invite the community to learn about the get involved in the Fernald
• Meet with the Mayor and members of the City Council to discuss mutually agreeable goals,
• Begin using the Fernald as a public resource

Thank you for continuing to stay engaged. Stay tuned for this winter’s events!

Come share your ideas at our Community Planning Charrette – Saturday May 30^th, at St. Mary’s Church (133 School Street). In the morning session, we will break down the Fernald site into smaller pieces to examine the limitations and assets that will determine its future. Following David Gamble’s keynote speech at lunch, we will work these pieces into a vision for key community-held principles for future development. Kathryn Madden of Madden Planning Group will be facilitating the process.

 

To confirm your spot at the charrette, RSVP Here or contact Hannah at 617-923-3505 x 8 or hannah@metrowestcd.org.

 

We received lots of feedback from attendees at the open house, and compiled these observations:

CONNECTIONS

21 people said they live in the neighborhood or their property abuts the Fernald! About 8 more had other connections such as working at or donating to the Fernald.

CONCERNS

7 people were concerned about “over-development” of the site, with 4 also concerned about potential commercial use, and 8 concerned about housing development. Another common concern had to do with potential problems with the site – lack of maintenance might lead to the buildings becoming dangerous, and ground contamination). People also wanted to make sure public input was obtained by the city prior to taking action (3 people), but also, there was a similar concern for years of inaction, with “no plan” (4 people).

VISIONS

Almost 30 people want to see open space, wildlife and wetland protection, and trails. Another 10 want to see community facilities located on the site. Other highlights include an ice cream shop, city offices, and bringing back a vibrant neighborhood!

 

We can’t wait to share more ideas at the charrette!

 

Check out the Downloads page to see the presentations that were featured at the Open House!