Executive Order

Executive Order  No. 311: Establishing a joint commission on the future of the beaches of Boston Harbor

Date: 07/26/1991
Issuer: William F. Weld
Mass Register: No. 667

Table of Contents

WHEREAS, the beaches of Boston Harbor were the product of historic planning and enlightened public investment during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, and stand as an exceptional urban recreational opportunity and cultural resource for the citizens of the City of Boston and its surrounding communities;

WHEREAS, this once vital resource, which represented a lively and colorful destination for thousands of urban families who had the opportunity to come together as a community for the enjoyment of nature, boating, swimming and concerts on the shores of their city, now stands neglected and underused as the result of decades of increasing pollution of the Boston Harbor;

WHEREAS, the massive Boston Harbor Cleanup Project will soon make the Boston Harbor safe for swimming and thereby afford our citizens the opportunity to once again enjoy this great national resource; and

WHEREAS, the renewal and reinvigoration of the Boston Harbor beaches would represent a major improvement to the quality of life for all who live and work in the Metropolitan Boston area which, in order to be fully realized, will require renewed vision, the cooperation and coordination of a multitude of government and citizen resources, and the long-term investment of capital and human resources which may be beyond the limited state and city means currently available.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, William F. Weld, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Supreme Executive Magistrate, do hereby order in conjunction with the simultaneously executed order of the Mayor of the City of Boston, the creation of a Joint Commission on the Future of the Beaches of Boston Harbor, whose duties and membership shall be as follows:

Section 1. The Joint Commission shall coordinate, develop and recommend to the Governor and the Mayor, a plan for the restoration of the beaches of Boston Harbor which will have as its objective the best means of ensuring that the entire community can use and enjoy the beaches to their fullest.

Section 2. In developing its plan, the Joint Commission shall consider and make recommendations regarding:

1. Desirable and necessary improvements to existing Boston Harbor beaches and ancillary facilities;

2. Sources of funding both for the renewal of the beaches and for the future improvement and management of those facilities;

3. Alternate means of ownership, investment financing and long-term management of the beaches such as their inclusion in the Boston National Historic Park, or the creation of a non-profit trust tied to the Harbor Cleanup Project;

4. The role that the youth of our community might play in the improvement and maintenance of the beach facilities for the future;

5. Measures to assure broad public access to the beaches of Boston Harbor; and

6. The establishment of a shore line park system linking the beaches of Boston Harbor.

Section 3. The membership of the Joint Commission shall initially include the following:

Five citizen members appointed by the Governor including representatives from other communities bordering on the Boston Harbor;

Three citizen members appointed by the Mayor of Boston;

Senate President or his designee;

House Speaker or his designee;

Secretary of Environmental Affairs;

One member appointed by the MWRA Board;

The Commissioners of the Metropolitan District Commission and the Department of Environmental Management;

Boston Park's Commissioner; and

Boston Environment Department Director.

The members shall serve without compensation. The chairman shall be designated by the Governor, and the vice chairman by the Mayor.

Section 4. The Joint Commission shall initially prepare and file by March 1, 1992, a preliminary report outlining the process which it intends to follow in its study and development of a recommended plan.

Section 5. The Joint Commission shall file its final report and recommendations with the Mayor and the Governor on or before December 31, 1992.

Section 6. In fulfilling its mandate the Commission may draw upon the staff, resources and expertise of the state agencies and authorities represented in its membership, and all such agencies are directed to cooperate to the fullest extent possible in the Commission's work.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 26th day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-one.

William F. Weld, Governor

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Michael Joseph Connolly

Secretary of the Commonwealth

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