Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 10, 2020 An Open Letter from Friends of Roosevelt Park and the Salemwood Community June 30, 2020 D ear Mayor Christenson, MRA Director Deborah Burke, and the Board Members of the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation, As the month draws to a close, we felt it was important to address the Roosevelt Park Renovation Project. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) has ordered a stop work order after the filing of an appeal concerning the bordering wetlands. While this hiatus is taking place, we wish to address the issues concerning why we continue to oppose this project. The planning was done with no input from the school community and the neighborhood. Both of these stakeholders are in opposition of this project. The children who spoke out were ignored. The parents of these children who spoke out were ignored. The neighbors who spoke out were ignored. Their voices were dismissed and excluded. This moment in our modern history is a turning point for people of color, please join us in hearing them when they say, they want to be included in community deSPORTS | FROM PAGE 1 low, moderate and high risk. Golf, pickleball and swimming are low-risk sports that can be played while social distancing or alone. Baseball, softball and volleyball are moderate-risk sports that involve some contact between players. However, the risks can be managed with face masks and modified game rules. High-risk sports that involve close contact, such as football, soccer and basketball, also present a high probability of respiratory particles spreading among players. In addition to categorizing risk levels, state guidelines also outline four levels of play that move from Level 1, no-contact workouts and drills, to competitive practices and scrimmages, to games, meets and matches and finally to Level 4, which allows tournaments. For moderate-risk baseball, players can take part in workcisions for their neighborhood and school communities. Let’s bring this community back to the table and reexamine options for Roosevelt Park. The Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation has been instrumental in supporting many projects in Malden and in surrounding communities which have enriched the lives of the citizens in these communities. The foundation had offered to pay for the artificial turf portion of the project. Adelaide Breed Bayrd, as stated in the information we have found about her, loved botany, trees and her Maplewood neighborhood. We respectfully ask the foundation to reconsider a natural grass alternative for this project. The Covid19 pandemic has made the residents of our City more aware and concerned with having our natural green space preserved. In times of crisis when we are limited to where we can travel, exercise, have fun and to find respite from the worries of the day, our parks need to serve as more than an athletic facility. One resident recently commented on the fun she had bringing her two daughters to Roosevelt Park to fly a kite and observe the bees outs, scrimmages and actual games. But for basketball, only socially distanced workouts and skills and drills are allowed. There are a slew of other rules, including mandatory face masks and social distancing for spectators for both indoor and outdoor sports. Only 25 players are allowed on a field or a court at one time; players are required to wear face masks when they are not actively engaged in play; and umpires and referees must wear masks and maintain six feet of distance between themselves and the athletes. Malden restaurants adjust The rules for organized sports seem complicated and almost impossible to enforce. But the veterans of Phase 2, Steps 1 and 2, which in Malden are the servers and staff of the city’s many restaurants, say they have adjusted to health and safety regmoving the pollen from clover to clover. Others use the space to practice Tai Chi or kick a ball around. With days in the 80s and 90s the field is a place that provides natural cooling to a congested area of our City. And with the last few days of local flooding, our parks are crucial to mitigating flooding, especially in neighborhoods like Playstead Road where flooding has always been an issue. Let’s make it clear, who will be benefiting from this project and who will be losing? Malden needs to embrace the guidelines and processes of Environmental Justice: Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys: • the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and • equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. We ask, once again, for the ulations and are moving forward. “It’s different than we expected,” said John Caruso, the server manager at Pearl Street Station, which reopened with 23 outdoor tables in the restaurant’s parking lot. Pearl Street now has a limited number of indoor tables for customers. “People seem to want to get out of the house,” said Caruso. “It’s been busy and it’s picking up.” Customers are greeted by staff wearing face masks and led to tables that are spread six feet apart. Once they are seated, they can take off their face masks. “I think those types of safety measures are the first thing customers are looking for,” said Caruso. “When they see those things, they can feel relaxed.” But there are no cozy corners filled with groups occasionally interacting with one another, no clusters of friends sharing a drink at the team of individuals promoting this project to pause. This project does not seem to represent UniteMalden or environmental justice for people of color in our community. The $1.8 million of Community Preservation funds needs to be returned to the CPC account for projects that are inclusive of all Malden residents and especially those who will be most affected. UniteMalden needs to begin first by uniting the voices of diversity speaking out against a project that is going to affect the quality of life of school children and a neighborhood. Sincerely yours, Friends of Roosevelt Park and the Salemwood Community Kari Percival Kelsey Menon Stefanie Alberto – Sarah Strayer John Saia – Cathy MacDonald Anita LaFauci – Kathleen Sullivan Joan Colburn – Lilia Haddouche Annie Oppedisano – Joe Oppedisano Robert Sullivan – Ann Schiro Lara Thompson – Susan Noonan Susan Nylen – Amanda Maffeo bar, no shout-outs or waves of unrestrained laughter. “The experience is so different,” said Caruso, who despite the changes remains optimistic about the future. Despite the low levels of new cases of COVID-19, Baker has said that Phase 4, which will allow bars, nightclubs and large function halls to reopen, will not start until there is an effective treatment or vaccine for the coronavirus. “It hasn’t been made clear what the next step will be, so we keep waiting for word from the governor,” said Caruso. “At this point, it’s just good to be open.” Business Development Director Kevin Duffy said that when the state approved outdoor seating for restaurants, the City of Malden spun into action to approve as many patio-seating plans as possible. “Mystic Station has set up a beautiful outdoor seating area in front of Malden Access TV,” said Link to EPA-Environmental Justice https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice Link to Equity in Socio Economic Environmental Justice, ACE-Alliance for Climate Education h ttps://ac espac e . org/2018/10/15/equi - ty-in-a-time-of-socio-environmental-justice/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwudb3BRC9ARIsAEa-vUvJ8ucV_ffXhMap -VsOSY9AmCHyex - e3cXsqZ31UXfLZizvGGdMYqR0aAoRaEALw_wcB Link to Fighting for Environmental Justice, Conservation Law Foundation https://www.clf.org/strategies/environmental-justice/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwudb3BRC9ARIsAEa-vUsKOR-ssvitW4XxQmxXOTMgyfXyFWlrLpylcgu5nmegzvMOn9mburUaAtbVEALw_wcB UNITEMalden 2020 https://www.cityofmalden. org/741/UniteMalden-2020 Malden Vulnerability Plan https://www.cityofmalden. org/702/Municipal-Vulnerability-Preparedness (Draft pgs. https://www.cityofmalden.org/DocumentCenter/ View/2297/List-of-Qualifying-MVP-Action-Grant-Projects-PDF?bidId= Duffy. Customers can sit outside and sip a frozen cocktail and try to finish one of the restaurant’s enormous burgers. “We take reservations and walk ups if a table is open, and we still do takeout and pickup,” said Amelia, who has worked at Mystic Station for two and a half years. Reservations are capped at one hour and 15 minutes to give the staff time to sanitize the table, chairs and all surfaces for the next customer. “I offer everyone hand sanitizer,” said Amelia, who, like Caruso, feels customers are reassured when they see the safety measures and precautions in action. “So far, it’s been better than I expected.” Like Malden restaurants, Malden sports teams and players may find that playing under the state’s COVID-19 safety guidelines is a different experience. But like the restaurants, they will no doubt adjust and be pleased to at least be in the game.
11 Publizr Home