The City of Medford has endorsed the Mystic River Master Plan, completed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in 2010. The Mystic River Master Plan proposes comprehensive improvements to more than 370 acres of the DCR park system. Part of that plan involves a bike path that would enable bikers to traverse the length of the Mystic River, including through Medford, a section that does not really exist at this time. The plan is available at http://www.mass.gov/dcr/pe/MysticRiverMasterPlann-Final.11-09.pdf.
In the Massachusetts legislature, line item 2800-0100 of the proposed budget is a $500,000 increase in the MA DCR’s budget that specifically targets the implementation of this plan. This funding is needed to complete design development plans and construction specifications for the park improvements (including the bike paths) that are detailed in the Master Planning document. Once the design development is finished and the projects are “shovel-ready”, then additional funds through federal initiatives can be accessed.
This line item could come up for consideration very soon (approximately April 10-12), so it is important for supporters of this plan to contact their state representatives now to urge them to vote for this funding. (Contact information for legislators is available here.)
This information was provided by the Mystic River Watershed Association, a non-profit organization headquartered in Arlington that advocates for improvements to the entire Mystic River Watershed.