Farlow & Chaffin Parks

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Farlow Park 124 Vernon Street
(Bounded by Vernon, Eldredge & Church Streets)
Newton Corner, MA 02458

Goals

Create and implement a landscape treatment plan to restore and rehabilitate these historic parks. In Farlow Park, restore the ornamental pond and design and construct a new, historically appropriate but fully accessible bridge; a new irrigation system to preserve the portion of the park used as a playing field by Underwood Elementary School; and a new well to supply water for both the pond and irrigation system.

Funding

$567,655	CPA funds appropriated for historic study, design & construction (historic resources, recreation)
$464,837	CDBG (federal Community Development Block Grant) funds allocated for design & construction
$41,747	Estimated City of Newton staff time for project management (Parks & Recreation)
$30,000	Community fundraising by the Friends of Farlow Park and Newton Corner Neighborhood Association
$1,104,249	Total Project Funding

Phases

Each phase is documented in the sections below, in roughly reverse chronological order.

2004-06 Historic Landscape Report for restoration & rehabilitation
2007-12 Pond restoration feasibility study & design
2013-18 Pond construction, bridge design & construction

Contact

Bob DeRubeis, Commissioner of Parks & Recreation
246 Dudley Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459
bderubeis@newtonma.gov
617-796-1500

Keith M. Jones
Friends of Farlow Park
109 Vernon St.
Newton Corner, MA 02458
keith.mjones@verizon.net
617-928-3343

Historic Background

Farlow Park - Historic Significance (1982 National Register description and map of the park, 2004 Newton Historical Commission letter)
Farlow & Kenrick Parks District, National Register of Historic Places (1982 - full district description, primarily focused on architecture) (This large file may load slowly.)
Farlow & Chaffin Parks Historic Landscape Report (2006) (This large file may load slowly.)

Farlow Park Pond & Bridge

Funding

$476,780	Total CPA funds appropriated for design & construction (historic resources, recreation)
$464,837	CDBG (federal Community Development Block Grant) funds allocated for design & construction
$41,747	Estimated City of Newton staff time for project management (Parks & Recreation)
$30,000	Community fundraising by the Friends of Farlow Park and Newton Corner Neighborhood Association
$1,013,364	Total Project Cost

Funding Process

2007-08 Feasibility Study & Design (Pond Only)

December 2007 - Proposal and letters of support
23 January 2008 - Presentation at public hearing (includes photos & maps)
19 May 2008 - CPC funding recommendation
14 July 2008 - Board order (appropriation)

2013-18 Final Design & Construction

3 June 2013 - Pre-proposal for pond construction
22 August 2013 - Revised pre-proposal for pond & bridge (scope expanded by CPC request), including 2004-07 letters of support and historic significance
13 November 2013-February 2014 - Full proposal for pond and bridge:
- Full proposal, including attachments for project budgets, City dept. budgets & letters
- Attachments for: maps, photos, designs & specifications
- Letters and petition of support (including additional submissions January-February 2014)
- Historic significance 1982 National Register description and map, 2004 Newton Historical Commission letter)
22 January 2014 - Slide presentation at CPC public hearing
March-April 2014 - Additional information submitted by sponsor, primarily at the request of the CPC:
- Sponsor's nonprofit status & community fundraising plan; plus additional letters (for 20 March 2014 CPC meeting)
- 10-year operating budget, sponsor's nonprofit status & community fundraising plan; plus 2 additional letters (for 30 April 2014 CPC meeting)
January-April 2014 - Cumulative community feedback on this proposal:
- Letters & petition of support, submitted by proposal sponsor (some overlap with other links above & below)
- Other letters (including but not limited to letters of opposition)
April-August 2014 - CPC funding recommendation (30 April 2014, amended 5 August 2014)
6 October 2014 - Board order (appropriation of recommended funds)
- Note: The CPC's recommendation for the Friends of Farlow Park to raise community funds not only for the project, as indicated in the proposal to the CPC, but also a $30,000 operating reserve to be held by the Friends was set aside by the Board of Aldermen during their appropriation discussion and vote. Neither CDBG nor CPA funds could have been contributed to this reserve.

Project News

February 2010 - Scope of work
June 2010 - Consultant presentation to community meeting (This large file may load slowly.)
16 June 2011 - Consultant's draft final report: executive summary (This large file may load slowly.)
January 2012 - Consultant's full final report (these large files may load slowly): summary specifications and cost estimates, full report part 1 (plans), full report part 2 (plans), full report part 3 (specifications)
21 May 2015 - Request for Proposals for Final Design & Specifications (architectural & engineering services) (This large file may load slowly.)
14 May 2019 - Project final report, with construction photos (This large file may load slowly.)

Farlow & Chaffin Parks

Historic Landscape Report

Goals

Hire a landscape preservation architect and structural engineer to create an overall landscape treatment plan for these historic parks, including historic and existing conditions report, engineering assessment of current bridge, and design analysis for possible reinstallation and maintenance of year-round pond.