By Mayor Martin J. Walsh
Every spring, we release our Capital Investment Plan which funds the critical improvements to our infrastructure and facilities in Boston over a five-year period. It is a reflection of our priorities, and is guided by the voices of over 15,000 residents who offered input for our citywide plan, Imagine Boston 2030. Our Capital Plan funds the essentials of community life — our schools, streets, libraries, and parks, including climate and resilience projects. It’s a commitment to all those who call Boston home and to our future generations.
Here in Mission Hill and the Fenway-Kenmore area, we’re making investments across a wide range of projects, including parks and open space, streets and transportation, our schools’ infrastructure, and our delivery of City services.
We believe that funding equitable and accessible community spaces is critical in keeping Boston not only a beautiful city, but also an open and welcoming one. That’s why, in partnership with the Town of Brookline, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Army Corps of Engineers, we’re allocating $89.3 million to dredge the main channel and restore the habitat along the Muddy River. We’re also investing $2.68 million in the Mission Hill Playground, including new play equipment and safety surfacing, improvements to the Little League field, passive areas, and wall repairs.
We’ve also funded a number of longer-term projects designed to create growth and opportunity in each neighborhood long after the initial investment. These account for the requests of the neighborhood’s residents and prepare Boston for the coming years.
With an eye towards the future, we’re spending $124.8 million in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to design and construct a new facility for the Boston Arts Academy that can support their dual art and academic curriculum. Additionally, we’ve invested $3 million in facility programming and design work for the construction of a new fire station to keep Bostonians and their property safe. We also believe that funding infrastructure and transportation efforts is crucial in order to make navigating Boston safe, reliable, and equitable. That’s why we’ve also scheduled road improvements for Parker Hill Avenue as part of our Roadway Reconstruction Program.
Now that we’ve submitted Boston’s budget, where do we go from here? First, to the City Council, where it will be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. After it’s gone through that process and secured approval, it will go into effect, starting in July 2020 and running throughout the next 12 months. We hope you will continue to provide your valuable input on what we as a city can do to raise up your community. If you’d like to learn more about the Capital Plan and how this budget was created, go to budget.boston.gov.Martin J. Walsh is the Mayor of Boston.