N 48 Pu b li c Do c u m ent o . RE P O R T OF T HE B ARD F T M E O O MEfiOfiQLl,EABK (QQMMISSIONEBS . E E MB E R 1 1 2 D C , 9 . B OS T ON WR I GHT POTTER PR I NTI NG CO S TA TE PR I NTER . , S , 1 8 POS T OF F I CE S Q U AR E. 1 9 1 3 . A PPR OVED B " “ T H T AT E B AR D F P B L I A I N E S O O U C T O . CONTENTS . PA G E LIST OF O F F ICERS, REPORT OF T HE COMMISSIONERS, REPORT OF T HE SECRET AR", REPORT OF T HE ENGINEER, FINANCIAL ST AT EMENT , APPENDI" Report relative to Cost of ac q u iring Land aro u nd Great Pond in the T owns of Braintree and Randolph,Chapter 56 o f the Resolves o f 1 9 12, Report relative to the Sanitary Condition of Charles River, Ch apter 1 07 o f the Resolves of 1 91 2, O F F I C E R S . C o m m iss io n ers . I I DE L CA S Chair man W LL AM B . AS SA , . I IS I SK I I S EDW N U . CURT . DAVD N . LL NG . L O I V O E LERT N P . WH TNE Y . E ERETT C, BENT N. n L a ds c ap e A rc h ite c ts . A dvis o r y . O S O LM TED BR THERS . n En g i eer . O L I . J HN R . RAB N n lm L a w a d C a i s . O G O S GE R E LYMAN R GER . S ec reta ry . O O GE RGE LYMAN R GERS . A s s n s i t a t S ec ret ary . IL I O L L W L AM H . G WE . OF F CE 1 4 a n s n a s I S, Be co Street,Bo to ,M s . t e Onmmnnmcalth of fi law acbumfia R E P O R T . The Metropolitan P ark Commission presents herewith its n n twe tieth a nual report . The reservation s and parkways in the care o f this B oard r e s . main practically the s ame in area as last year . The light changes made,and the reasons therefor,are stated in the Secre ’ is tary s report . The most important new acquirement that made o n Ocean Avenue,R evere B each,to provide a location in close proximity to the headquarters o f the reservation f o r much needed stable,garage and storage sheds, and for a new boiler n n s h s s house, i ci erator and coal shed . When t e e building can be erected they will relieve the yards and in cidental buildings adj acent to the b ath-house an d main he adquarters buildings, an d gre atly reduce the fire risk to which these buildings have been expo sed by the gradually increasing amoun t of fixtures an d s n ss n n s ns tool ece ary for the mai tena ce of the divi ion . Pla for the new buildings are being prepared by the E ngineerin g De artm ent he n s as in m p . T buildi g will be nearly as may be c o b u stib le,o r o f slow-burning types,and it is hoped will contain a station ary fire pump o f cap acity to be of gre at protection to s s s the entire neighborhood . The table ,which have been for ome years located at the corner of R evere Street an d the R es erva tion,have proved to be in an in conven ient location ,an d a change would have been made before thi s, and the land on which they are located would have been sold to help pay for the n ew build ings,except for the hope of the B oard that before it w as obliged to sell the lan d it might be defin itely known whether or n o t any p art of it would be required for extens ion of the State highway s R B to Saugu iver ridge . The location of th at proposed exten R R . n MET OPOLITAN PA KS [Ja . s ion appears,however,after inquiries of the Highway Commis s ion,to be as yet very indefinite,and the B oard therefore feels n s o f s that it ought not to delay lo ger the ale thi land . There h as been practically no extension o f formal construo tion and development work,except in a few specific cases,which n s f are referred to farther o in thi report . In continuation o the work of previous years the improvemen t,and in a few places recons truction , of parkways an d formal roads, to make them better suited to stand automobile travel,has engrossed the at s s tention of the engineering and divi ion forces . The e roads are now in better condition than ever before, and a con tinuation o f the present methods of mainten ance should keep all of them in fir st-class condition within the amount o f the usual annual ns o r s s maintenance appropriatio . F the pa t few year ,however, they have absorbed so large a portion o f the maintenan ce funds that it has been nece ss ary to postpone much work which,though less immediate ly necess ary,is none the less very necessary for f r preserving the attractivene ss o the parkways . F o example,a few years since a special item o f w as allowed f o r grano s has lithic s idewalks on Middlesex Fells P arkway . Thi amount been expended on the sidewalks which border the park areas an d in front o f private estates whose owners were willing to contrib n - ‘o f s n ns ute o e half the cost . With the aid thi fu d a co iderable length o f gran olithic walk 3 feet w ide h as been provided in the gravelled portions o f the sidewalks, and h as not only in itself added gre atly to the appearance o f the parkways,but has further protected them by keeping foot travel o ff the grass borders . These sidewalks have o f course greatly added to the convenience f i o tho se who walk through the parkways . It s hoped that it may be poss ible to exten d these granolithic strips s omewhat o u t o f the present m aintenan ce appropriation s ; but if the dem an d exceeds the amount which can be s ecured for this purpos e the B oard will be likely to include an additional suni for this spe c ific purpo se in the mainten ance appropriation s asked in other; has years . It is to be remembered that the B oard no power to compel con tribution from abutters,such as cities and towns have upon the highways,an d the B oard suggests that it may be ad vis able to provide, by amen dment of pre sent laws, th at the B oard may lay s idewalks an d certify the cos t to the cities or 48. PUB LIC DOCUMENT No . towns within which the abutting land lies,an d th at the mun ici i palitie s may then assess the co st upon the abutter n the s ame way as if the s idewalk had been laid by its own forces under the a s presen t law in regard to sidewalks in highw ys . Under thi - s s law,o ne half the cost becomes a lien upon the abutting premi e . It may also prove advis able to exte n d s imilar authority for the n sto nes purpo se of providing for the co st o f l ayi g e dge . There seem s to be no good reason why abutters who get the immediate benefit o f these improvements,as the abutters in city and town highways do in mun icipal ways,should be free from c o ntr ib u t t s ing o their co t . On Middlesex Fells P arkway and on some portion s of other p arkways the shade trees set out at the time of construction were of quick-growing sorts , and are now beginning to reach their f a s s s s f o r fullness o ge and ize . They have ati fied the de ire quick results o f shade and appearance, but have n early lived their lives,and will soon begin to deteriorate,an d indeed have already begun to do so in win dy,expos ed places,o r where the n i s w as s oil beyo d the tree pits s poor . Thi expected when the trees were set o u t,and it is only in continuation of the policy then e stablished that younger,hardier tre es o f slower growing h abits must n ow be set out,so that they m ay be of good s ize by the time it becomes necess ary to remove the older soft wood s tree .