By Adam Swift
Chelsea is joining up with several local communities on a project to help combat extreme heat.
Last week, the city council formally accepted an intermunicipal agreement with Arlington, Everett, and Malden for the “Wicked Cool Mystic – Super Fresco Mistico: Implementing resident-led outdoor cooling solutions in environmental justice neighborhoods” project.
“You may recall that the City received funding for this project through the Municipal Vulnerability Program (MVP) action grant in FY25/26,” City Manager Fidel Maltez stated in a letter to the council. “The goal of this project is to implement community-led designs of cooling strategies in environmental justice communities.”
The first round of the project, Wicked Hot Mystic, was focused on engaging residents about where they felt hottest. Matlez said that local residents shared that they wanted more cooling features at bus stops.
“The current phase of the project is funded by an MVP action grant for $687,000 to pursue a two-year regional project to design and implement cooling strategies,” said Maltez. “Proposed cooling features include water fountains, misters, and shade sails. Having cooling features at bus stops is crucial for several reasons, such as providing comfort and safety for rides – especially during heat waves – and encouraging more public transportation use.”
Cooling features can help mitigate heat stress, reduce the risk of heat stroke, and make waiting for the bus a more pleasant experience, Maltez said.
“Once completed, these cooling features will offer opportunities for heat resilience and respite from rising temperatures, goals that are in alignment with the City’s 2018 MVP Community Resilience Building Summary of Findings,” the city manager said.
The city will complete its design and construction of cooling features at high ridership and high heat area bus stops by June 30, 2026. The design process includes coordination with the housing and community development department and the department of public works, as well as with city officials from Arlington, Everett, Malden, and Mystic River Watershed Association staff, Maltez stated.
“I’m excited to see this move forward,” said Councilor-at-Large Roberto Jimenez Rivera. “It’s really exciting to have seen a number of bus stops that have gone up along Broadway and seen the covered areas for people to wait in. This seems like a pretty exciting thing to offer to folks, it’s going to get pretty hot over the summer, and a misting fan in front of your face is one of the best things you can do to get cool.”