Third Public Meeting
Virtual public meeting over Zoom
Date: May 28, 2020, 6:30PM
Location: Virtual
Attendees: 75
Goal: The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss a new design scheme that incorporated feedback on the three design options from the previous public meeting. Also, to gather feedback on the first draft of the Design Goals that were created to guide the design decisions.
Agenda: The third meeting was delayed from the original schedule and conducted online due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of attendees dropped a little, there was still robust participation. Tutorials were offered prior to the Zoom meeting for anyone who was unfamiliar with the technology.
The meeting was structured to start with a welcome to everyone by Marcia Manong, followed by a presentation from Marie Law Adams on what was heard during the previous meeting, and how that informed the current design and design goals. Next, the meeting was divided into small group discussions of 8-10 people with a facilitator, a note-taker, and a Zoom lead to discuss the updated design. Finally, the meeting closed with a report back identifying a key takeaway from each small group.
What We Heard
Small Group Discussion Questions
Meeting Materials for Breakout Room Discussions - Part 1: What do you like about the design and what would you like to change?
What do you like about the design and why?
What would you change about the design and why?
What goals is the design already meeting well?
What aspects of the design need more work to meet the goals?
Should anything be added to the design goals?
Meeting Materials for Breakout Room Discussions - Part 2: Please share with the group any comments you have on the Design Goals.
Results
The response to the new design and design principles was overwhelmingly positive and meeting attendees quickly moved into discussing finer details rather than commenting on the design more generally. This was an indication that folks found that the design satisfied their overall vision for the project, and that this concept phase was coming to an end. The feedback from this public meeting can be organized into the following categories.
Access & Transportation: Ensure multimodal access to the park.
Cultural Inclusivity: Ensure design and art on site are sensitive to and reflective of all of Malden’s diverse cultural communities.
Boat house & Dock: Ensure space for boat maneuvering.
DPW: Mitigate noise and views of DPW functions.
River Views: Ensure visual access to the river.
Bioretention & Landscaping: Want more natural landscaping and flood mitigation.
Signage: Educational signage ranging from wildlife/environment to Malden’s history.
Program: Request for boating (canoe/ kayaking) rental.
Operations & Maintenance: Ensure maintenance and clean up/provide adequate trash receptacles.
Additionally, there were several questions about park rules and regulations, as well as detailed design inputs, such as bike racks and adequate lighting in the evenings.
Project Development
Because the feedback on this design scheme quickly dove into a higher level of detail, the design team concluded that attendees were satisfied with the overall concept design. Thus, the next step involved creating visual materials to address specific questions raised by attendees and refine some of the less integrative details of the design such as furniture and lighting.
Recording of Third Public Meeting via Facebook Live (no login required)