Taken from Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. press release:
On Wednesday, December 14, 2011, the Malden River will be the subject of a free public “design forum” at the Malden Public Library, located at 36 Salem Street. Students from the Boston Architectural College (BAC) will present their designs for improvements to the Malden River corridor. Malden Youth who worked at Tri-City Community Action Program, Inc. (Tri-CAP) during the summer to study the Malden River will also be on hand to share their design work. Representatives from the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) will display information about how these innovative designs fit into the larger context of the Mystic River Watershed, of which the Malden River is a part.
The informal “gallery-style” event will run from 5:00 – 8:00 PM in the original wing of the Malden Public Library. Attendees should enter the library from the Salem Street entrance, and the handicapped-accessible Park Street main entrance will be open, as well.
BAC students and professors will be present to discuss their work from 5:00 - 6:30 PM. Professors from the BAC and the youth from Tri-CAP will make brief remarks to frame and explain their design projects at 5:30 PM. Light refreshments will be provided, courtesy of the Malden Redevelopment Authority.
Throughout the semester, the students from the Boston Architectural College were asked to consider the culture, social structure, history, and natural systems surrounding the Malden River and speculate on a proposal to tie the river back into the fabric of the community. The students have responded to this charge with a wide range of potential projects that seek to reinvigorate the relationship of the river and the community.
The Malden youth from Tri-CAP spent the summer learning about the Malden River and stormwater pollution, a major cause of impairment to the Malden River. This project was part of Tri-CAP’s Mystic River Watershed Environmental Justice Initiative and was funded in part through the City of Malden’s Summer Youth Employment Program. The youth’s work included conducting stormwater surveys of neighborhoods in Malden, developing potential redesigns that could improve stormwater runoff at three sites in Malden, building a green infrastructure installation (i.e. rain garden and rain barrel system) that will improve stormwater runoff at a house owned by Tri-CAP, and creating potential new public engagement opportunities for the Malden River.
Those interested in attending can RSVP to ncohen@tri-cap.org or (781) 322-4125 X237, but an RSVP is not required to attend.
