By Mayor Martin J. Walsh
Every spring, the City of Boston releases our Imagine Boston Capital Plan for the next five years. It outlines where our city’s budget will be focused, our longer-term plans, and our priorities. Essentially, the capital plan details what initiatives and projects in your neighborhood and across the City that we’ll be investing in to make Boston’s future brighter.
From South Boston, to Mattapan, to Allston-Brighton, to Back Bay, it’s my priority to create growth and opportunity for every Bostonian in every neighborhood. Boston will be at its best when all its residents have the support and opportunity they need to thrive. Investing in initiatives and projects that bring shared growth, success, and greater equity is critical for our city to reach its full potential. Our Capital Plan invests in Boston’s strongest asset: our people. Boston is a city that’s world class because it works for the middle class, and our budget’s priority is to keep supporting the working families that make Boston great.
Here in South Boston, we’re investing in some exciting initiatives and projects that we hope you and your neighbors will enjoy for many years to come.
In South Boston, we know that shared community spaces around the neighborhood bring families and communities together and provide an important resource and gathering place for all. That’s why we’re investing $15 million for a major renovation to the BCYF Curley Community Center. And we aren’t stopping there — we’re also investing $1.1 million in new athletic field lighting at Christopher Lee Playground and completing Martin’s Park, a new $7 million universally accessible park near the Children’s Museum.
We will be investing in park improvements of $715,000 for Flaherty Park; including a renovated play lot, pathways, and passive areas; $510,000 to improve playing fields and other amenities at Orton Field; and $180,000 investment to develop a Moakley Park Master Plan to ensure the park works for all residents. Libraries are part of our public spaces too, and the South Boston Branch Library will be getting a $99,000 investment in landscaping and exterior improvements.
We’re also investing in infrastructure in South Boston. We will be investing $7.4 million for the reconstruction of Summer Street from Fort Point Channel to Boston Wharf Road, including improved roadway, sidewalks, street lighting, and a new cycle track. The $250,000 reconstruction of Congress Street from Fort Point Channel to West Service Road will provide safe, livable, and multi-modal city streets, including new sidewalks, street lights, trees, and street furniture. Finally, we will be investing $100 million to refurbish and restore the Northern Avenue Bridge.
Our longer-term investments are intended to lift up our neighborhoods in ways that take into account the needs and wants of the community. With this Capital Plan, we’re preparing our city for the next year, and the years forward. What’s the next step for the Capital Plan? I have submitted the City of Boston’s budget to the Boston City Council, where your City Councilor will review the proposed budget. Once the budget is approved, it will go into effect. This is the budget for fiscal year 2019, meaning the budget will take effect in July 2018, and run throughout the next 12 months.
I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look through the budget proposal, online at budget.boston.gov. Together, I look forward to investing in our neighborhoods, and our people.
