2013 Year in Review

Dear All,

I think we can be proud of our 2013 accomplishments at Magazine Beach, noted below. Look for construction at the Powder Magazine come spring, more cleanups, and a spectacular 2014 Celebration of the park June 14^th! We also hope to update and complete the landscape plan for the western part of the park and to move forward on other park improvements.

Thanks for your part in all of this and happy, happy holidays!

Cathie Zusy, Chair Magazine Beach Committee, Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association, Inc., a 501c3 tax-exempt, non-profit, cathzusy@gmail.com

2013 Milestones at Magazine Beach

– Senator Anthony Petruccelli and Rep. Jay Livingstone meet with DCR and City officials.

-DCR removes graffiti from the Powder Magazine, removes the broken playground, and prunes trees.

-We organize two community cleanups with partners the Charles River Conservancy, Riverside Boat Club and DCR. The CRC hosts six more including Starbucks, Novartis, Vertex, Sanofi, and many other groups!

-We offer three programs:  a history tour, a birdwatching and foraging walk, and a tour of the Cottage Farm Sewer Combined Overflow Facility. See Mary Holbrow’s blog post at http://www.cctvcambridge.org/MagazineBeachWalk.

March

-Our first fundraising house party, hosted by Decia Goodwin and Brian Conway, with marvelous graphics by Brian and a movie about Captain’s Island by Augie Cummings: https://vimeo.com/62881865.

-MIT students do a Magazine Beach makeover, producing an exhibit, strategic plan and Facebook page (with donate button!) for us.

May

-DCR Open House of Powder Magazine.

-Presentation of the Historic Structure Report for Powder Magazine. DCR will post on their site in early 20014.

 June

-Our 2013 Celebration featuring art installations by Artforming and Danielle Saurve, a community performance orchestrated by Nancy Adams, music by Best Ever Chicken, and a publication about Captain’s Island and the Powder Magazine by Nina Cohen and Marilyn Wellons (posted at www.magazinebeach.wordpress.com). See Ron Wyman’s film at http://vimeo.com/69414298.

September

-The City of Cambridge appropriates $100k of Community Preservation Act Funds to help stabilize the 1818 Powder Magazine.

November

-DCR’s Comm. Jack Murray announces that DCR will match City money and the money the CNA raised (just over $11k), too, to stabilize the Powder Magazine and add security lighting (about $300k, total, to do the work).

– Senator Petruccelli and Rep. Livingstone draft legislation to put the Magazine on the DCR’s Historic Curatorship list whereby a business gets a long-term lease to the building in exchange for converting it to its next use. A concession/ meeting space????

-DCR’s Sr. Planner Rick Corsi meets with Cambridge Conservation Commission Jennifer Letourneau to draft a vegetation management plan for the park.

December

-DCR covers roof with rubber membrane, protecting it from the elements until the new slate roof is installed.

Coming Soon!

-DCR publishes the Historic Structure Report for Powder Magazine, and solicits RFP to reroof the Magazine (to specs by Clark & Green).

Thanks to the many talented and passionate volunteers who helped make all of these things happen; to our wonderful colleagues at DCR, the CRC and the RBC; to our committed politicians; and to our funders: the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund, Charles River Conservancy, Forest City and Anonymous. Thanks to our efforts, over $300k will be invested in the Powder Magazine in 2014. The Magazine Beach Committee’s operating expenses (to pay for materials for the Celebration and stipends for the writers and filmmaker) have been just over $4k. Now that’s a lot of bang for each buck!