“The City’s Building Department launched an online permitting system through CitizenServe, offering all applicants for permits available in the Building Department to submit applications and documents online. To access the online system, visit www.medfordma.org/departments/building-department.”
That said, residents can also SEARCH the permit database! You do have to hit the “Apply for a Permit” button, but that takes you to a page where you can actually search for permits – including, of course, demo permits.
Outline of the Winter Hill Neighborhood. Oriented to the north.
In collaboration with the City of Medford Procurement Office, the Medford Historical Commission is pleased to announce that beginning on August 17, 2020, RFP 21-0191 for the Winter Hill Neighborhood Historic Property Survey will be available on the City’s online procurement platform. The following is our official announcement and how to get a hold of the documents:
LEGAL NOTICE
CITY OF MEDFORD
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
21-0191
Winter Hill Neighborhood
Historic Properties Survey
The City of Medford (City) is seeking proposals from qualified historic preservation consultants to undertake an intensive-level, neighborhood survey of cultural and architectural resources in the Winter Hill neighborhood of the City of Medford.
This project is being Electronically Bid (E-Bid). Requests for Proposals will be available beginning Monday, August 17, 2020. Proposal Documents will be available online at:
Proposers must meet the following minimum qualifications: a Bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation, Architectural History, History, Art History, or a closely related field, plus at least two years full-time experience in an area relevant to the project; or a Master’s degree in any of the above mentioned areas.
All proposals shall be submitted online to http://www.BidNetDirect.com prior to September 17, 2020, at 2 p.m. Hard copy proposals will not be accepted by BidNetDirect.com. or by the Awarding Authority. You can register to become a proposer online at http://www.BidNetDirect.com. For assistance, contact BidNetDirect.com at 800-835-4603.
Each Proposal shall be submitted in accordance with the Instructions within the RFP. It is the responsibility of prospective proposers and or bidders to check http://www.BidNetDirect.com for new information via any addenda or modifications to this solicitation. Addenda will be emailed to all Plan holders registered with BidNet.
Questions regarding this Request for Proposals must be written and submitted via BidNetDirect.com.
As noted above, all addenda shall be sent via BidNetDirect.com and emailed to registered Plan holders.
The City reserves the right to reject all proposals, in whole or in part, as determined to be in the best interests of the City and to waive minor informalities.
We are still holding our monthly meetings on Zoom, and this month our meeting will start at 7:30 PM Monday, August 10th. Zoom info is in the agenda, below.
On the Agenda is a potential new initiative, in collaboration with Medford’s Community Preservation Coalition, to assist homeowners with preservation projects.
Also on the agenda are further discussions of the recent city council meeting (see video here), and concerns we share with the Building Department about review of permits for gut rehabs and demolitions.
Finally, our members will be joining the Historic District Commission for their public meeting at 6 PM, on Zoom. This public meeting will discuss a proposed Historic District to protect the Haskell-Cutter House. More on the home, and proposed district here.
If you’ve noticed an older property in your neighborhood that’s been *almost entirely* demolished in the renovation process and you’re wondering what’s up, you are not alone. Your Historical Commission has also been concerned about this trend in Medford development.
Below, see the full text of our recent letter to the Mayor on this issue –
A recent example on West Street, in the Hillside neighborhood.
Long story short, we’re worried that “the Building Department has rubber-stamped applications for building permits in a manner which has permitted property owners and developers to circumvent mandatory demolition review by the Historical Commission.”
If you have concerns as well, or examples from your neighborhood, please be in touch with us, or contact the mayor to support our letter!
There will be no new business discussed at our July meeting. But if you’d like to drop in to ask questions or share news, Zoom info is included in the agenda document.
If you’re looking for something more lively, be sure to check out the upcoming ONLINE program hosted by the West Medford Community Center this Sunday.
The Medford Historical Commission would like to thank all persons who provided feedback on the multi-year master plan for Thomas Brooks Park. The consultant has completed work and we are releasing the final document for visitors to view. We will be undertaking portions of this work over the next several years. We look forward to working with residents over the next several years as we highlight this important Medford historical resource.
The Historical Commission held its third Zoom public meeting last night. The primary business was a decision regarding 43 Pleasant Street, a house built before 1850 and located in area now known as “Old Ship Street” on the National Register of Historic Places.
The commission found the house “preferably preserved.”
When a building is found to be “preferably preserved” an 18 month delay of demolition is imposed, to give the applicant time to consider sale, renovation, reuse, relocation and other alternatives to demolition. The applicant is invited to return to the Commission’s upcoming public meetings to present plans and alternatives, and to discuss the preservation concerns that their neighbors and the commission have. If a plan is developed that addresses the concerns of the public and the commission, a demolition delay may be lifted before the 18 month period.
Thanks to the Medford residents who wrote in, or attended in person, to voice their opinions for and against the preservation of this building.
At our June meeting on Monday the Historical Commission will determine whether the house at 43 Pleasant Street is preferably preserved, and in need of a delay of demolition.
At our May meeting, an application for demo permission was submitted by the owners of 43 Pleasant St in East Medford. This property falls within the boundaries of the Old Ship Street – our shipbuilding district – which is on the register of National Historic Places. However, this designation (unlike the Local Historic District designation) does not protect buildings in the area from demolition.
It does mean that the building has already been determined to be “historically significant.” Thus, our June meeting will proceed to the second step of the process, and we will determine whether or not the building is preferably preserved.
A copy of our surveyors’ Form B with a history of the building and its inhabitants is here.
Call in via phone: One tap mobile: +19292056099,,94922681587# US Dial in: +1 929 205 6099 US Meeting ID: 949 2268 1587
Access livestream: The meeting will also be live streamed at https://medford.vod.castus.tv/vod/index.php/@live:ch3. To participate while watching the livestream, questions and comments may be emailed during the hearing to HistoricalCommission@Medford-MA.gov. For information regarding this hearing, please visit www.medfordhistoricalcommission.org. Comments may be submitted prior to the meeting in writing to HistoricalCommission@Medford-MA.gov.
With your input, we want to make the restoration of Thomas Brooks Park and the Old Slave Wall a beautiful and meaningful addition to Medford’s historic landmarks.
MHC is seeking your comments in advance of our upcoming Zoom public meeting, which will be held on June 2, 2020. [Edited to add – this meeting has been held, but we still welcome your comments as the planning process continues! historicalcommission@medford-ma.gov]
Project Overview
The Medford Historical Commission was awarded a generous grant from the Medford Community Preservation Commission to hire a consultant to develop a master plan for Thomas Brooks Park. This six-acre wooded landscape is located in West Medford, on Grove Street, and bordered by the Lowell Branch of the MBTA Commuter Rail tracks. It is currently a passive recreation area, and has a rich history that is greatly obscured. This project seeks to bring to light that history and implement select improvements over multiple years.
The Brooks Family and The Old Slave Wall
Thomas Brooks Park is one of the few remaining sites associated with the Brooks Family, a lineage which has existed in Medford for more than three centuries. The namesake of the parcel erected his house in the eighteenth century behind a well-crafted brick and sandstone wall. This wall is attributed to a slave named Pompeii, who utilized clay from the grounds to craft the masonry necessary to divide Grove Street from Brooks’ private driveway. The wall is important to preserve as one of two extant period reminders of the lives and work of enslaved people in our community. Maintenance of the wall is, in fact, a condition set by the Brooks’ heirs upon their donation of the parcel to the City, in 1924, for use as a parkland. The family later donated Playstead Park, portions of Oak Grove Cemetery and, finally, their West Medford estates. The Shepherd Brooks manor is likewise a city landmark and is managed in partnership with the Medford-Brooks Estate Land Trust (M-BELT).
Present Conditions
Currently, the park is hardly noticeable to motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians. Debris, overgrown trees, and brush restrict access to the green space. The fence along the Commuter Rail line is damaged in several places. Visitors desiring to view the Old Slave Wall and its marker must stand in the roadway and risk injury from oncoming traffic. In order to address these issues, the Commission is working to review existing conditions, work with the neighbors and develop a master plan for the parcel in order to restore this important historic landscape. The plan will encompass the entire parcel and focus schematic efforts on the development of access to the wall, its condition, care and maintenance. The Commission intends to seek Community Preservation funds for this work with additional efforts to follow in subsequent years.
Plans and Designs
To date, our consultant has made excellent progress on preliminary designs.
Hedlund Design Group, LLC, a landscape architecture firm from Arlington, MA, was selected for their expertise in municipal parks and culturally sensitive locations. The team includes nationally recognized individuals who provide additional relevant knowledge in the fields of masonry and archaeology. The team has been hard at work, developing a concept for the park. A public meeting was held in November 2019 and they have taken critical feedback and implemented it within the latest proposal.
We would appreciate all written comments to be sent in no later than June 1, 2020. Comments can be emailed to HistoricalCommission@Medford-MA.gov or via hard copy to the Medford Historical Commission, c/o Denis MacDougal, Room 205, in Medford City Hall.
If you have any questions in regard to this project, please do not hesitate to contact us at HistoricalCommission@Medford-MA.gov.
Topic: Medford Historical Commission’s Zoom Meeting Time: Jun 2, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
The agenda includes instructions on how to login. While Zoom-Burnout is real, you might consider logging in, saying hello and then just listening in to the meeting while you tidy up from dinner.
Medford Historical Commission 