Somerville ARTFarm for Social Innovation

Somerville Residents Good news: there’s still time to complete the CPA (Community Preservation Act) Survey. https://cityofsomerville.jotform.com/250496011092854

If you’ve done so, kudos! If not, it takes less than a minute. Take a moment to support crucial ArtFarm funding and ensure the project stays on target.

The survey gives you three ways to support ArtFarm:

-- Select “ArtFarm” if you participated in public engagement for its design.

-- Add “ArtFarm” to the fill in the blank question that asks: “CPA funds can be used to create, expand, improve or rehabilitate parks, open spaces and recreational amenities…”

-- Keep in mind that ArtFarm will be supported by the “Open Space and Recreation” category and the percentages you choose.

ArtFarm will be a game changer for Somerville’s quality of life and its artistic vitality. Let's make sure decision-makers know we're behind it. Thanks!

ArtFarm: A #1 Priority

Great news from Ecological Restoration Planner Alison Maurer and the City of Somerville’s Office Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD): the ArtFarm plan is underway and being reviewed.

Born out of many community discussions, workshops and much negotiation over the past 10 years, ArtFarm’s innovative vision has received generous funding from the State of Massachusetts and ArtPlace America. It is time to move to the next phase and the city of Somerville is doing its part.

The city has listed ArtFarm as #1 in their Open Space & Recreation Plan: 2024-2031 projects. See chart below - taken from the full document.

In addition to the planned art and urban-ag features, ArtFarm, which is to be built atop the Poplar Street Pump Station, now presents an exciting opportunity to educate the public about climate change and how projects big and small can contribute to a greener world. (More trees!) Additionally, there is an opportunity to connect to the rich history of the Brickbottom District and the peoples that came before.

Public engagement planning will start soon. Next steps will be posted as plans progress – let’s go!

The cranes are out in full force these days at the future ArtFarm site in the Brickbottom Arts District. But don’t come looking for common grus grus just yet.

After some initial stops and starts, construction of the massive Poplar Street Pump Station is fully underway.

One of the biggest public works projects the New England area has ever seen, the concrete-lined crater, excavated at 40 feet deep and170 feet in diameter, will hold four million gallons of stormwater. That’s one heck of a pool.

The water management project will mitigate flood risks across Wards Two and Three. As such, it will serve as a significant environmental community resource for generations to come.

As City of Somerville Project Manager Jonathan Smith noted in the project’s March 2023 kickoff, the cistern will help reduce sewage runoff in nearby Mystic, Alewife and Charles waterways as well as enable planned development throughout the city via stormwater offsets.

Slated to launch in Q4 2025 the project is likely to run into 2026.

While Brickbottom locals endure road closures and massive machinery as the project continues, we remain focused on what comes next: ArtFarm. What excites you most about the amazing evolution of this former garbage transfer site?

The diverse voices of artists from the black, Indigenous, and people of color community need to be heard. The Somerville Arts Council BIPOC grants are specially targeted to make the work of these artists more visible. Learn more and tell friends about it: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/bipoc

COVID has had a terrible impact on our arts and cultural institutions -- especially the smaller local organizations. There is a new SAC grant program that aims to help. Please review and share with those organizations that need a helping hand as we work through these challenging days. https://somervilleartscouncil.org/covidgrant