Updates from October 2018
Follow-up from Oct. 23 City Council Meeting (added 10/24/2018)
Last night, Lawrence Memorial Hospital was invited by the Medford City Council to provide an update on its proposed on-campus Ambulatory Surgical Center project. For your convenience, find a copy of that update here (PDF).
We understand that it was not widely known that Lawrence Memorial Hospital would be providing an update at this City Council meeting. As a result, we will be presenting an update again to the City Council this coming week, October 30, 2018, to ensure that all members of the community are aware and have the opportunity to attend. We will post this notice that we are attending the City Council Meeting on this project website. Additionally, the City of Medford is planning its own announcement via its automated robo-call to residents.
We would also like to recognize the members of the community that participated in last night’s City Council meeting. The comments that were offered were incredibly thoughtful and will be taken under advisement.
Information on Community Advisory Group (added 10/18/2018)
It has come to our attention that there are concerns that the newly created community advisory group will be used to limit or circumvent any public discussion of the proposed Ambulatory Surgical Center project. We wanted to take this opportunity to clear up any misconceptions of the goals of the community advisory group.
- The community advisory group will NOT be a substitute for the large, comprehensive city-wide community meetings that will be well advertised. Every voice counts in this process and will be heard. Please stay tuned for a schedule of these larger public meetings.
- The community advisory group is a smaller, but representative group, of abutters and city residents that was designed to better inform Lawrence Memorial Hospital leadership about the concerns of the community and to ensure that those issues are properly addressed in our public forums. This group will provide a seat at the table for community input as the Ambulatory Surgery Center project takes shape.
- The community advisory group will provide the platform for two-way information flow. We expect community members to elevate community concerns, and in return, they can expect our senior staff to be explicit in responding to those concerns.
- The community advisory group will include two abutters, two Medford residents that are not direct abutters, an appointee from the Mayor’s Office, and the Director of Public Health to create a team, that when combined with our Lawrence Memorial Hospital senior leadership, will give us the ability to work more effectively with the community.
More information will continue to be shared about this group and any other developments as it becomes available.
Traffic Study Planned (added 10/15/2018)
Oct. 15 Update: The traffic study will be delayed one week due to a repaving project by the city.
We’re pleased to announce that after consultation with the City of Medford, Lawrence Memorial Hospital has retained a third-party traffic engineer, VHB, to conduct a Transportation Access and Impact Study. This study will evaluate the surrounding transportation infrastructure in connection with the proposed Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) and other future hospital programming. The study will also assess existing pedestrian conditions, vehicular speeds, and sight distance conditions at hospital driveways.
As part of the study, traffic monitoring equipment will be installed throughout the neighborhoods surrounding Lawrence Memorial Hospital in the coming week. We will cause as little disruption as possible and appreciate your understanding as we assess traffic patterns and volume.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. More information will be provided as efforts progress.
Update on Activity (added 10/10/2018)
Since our public meeting in August, we have been working closely with the City of Medford and local residents in an effort to address questions raised by the community and abutters at the public hearing. Specifically, we would like to update you on the following activity:
- We are forming a 10-12 member Community Advisory Group that will include Medford residents and abutters to review and recommend appropriate strategies to mitigate the impacts of any proposed development of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Campus, including but not limited to the Ambulatory Surgical Center.
- We are working with the City of Medford and a third party traffic engineering firm on a Transportation Access and Impact Study. The study will evaluate impacts to the surrounding transportation infrastructure in connection with the Proposed Ambulatory Surgical Center and other future Lawrence Memorial Hospital services. The study will take place over the coming weeks. We will provide the results of the study as soon as they are finalized.
- We have created a project website to share relevant announcements with the community at large. This website has helped make community members aware of on campus project related activity such as boring drillings. The website is located at www.MelroseWakefield.org/VisionLMH
- Community members and abutters have provided Lawrence Memorial Hospital with email addresses indicating an interest to learn about project activity. We have created an email list of nearly 200 local residents to keep members informed about the project. To join this list, please visit our website at www.MelroseWakefield.org/VisionLMH
- Following the results of the above-referenced traffic study; we will announce the date of a public meeting to share those results and other project updates. The date of this meeting will be shared in many ways, including notification to the Mayor and City Council, a communication to our email list and a posting on our website.
We welcome all residents to subscribe to this list to stay informed. Additionally, questions or comments can be emailed to our team at the following email address: Community@MelroseWakefield.org.
Update on Borings (added 10/10/2018)
The boring work has been completed and the results will be compiled, summarized and then shared as soon as we have the information available.
