City Services

Franklin Park Advocates Want You to Contact Councilors to Ask Them to Override Mayor’s Budget

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The Franklin Park Coalition (FPC) is imploring Bostonians to contact the six city councilors who are not supporting the budget package that includes an amendment for additional Franklin Park maintenance. And time is short because the last city council budget vote is Wednesday at noon (City Hall, 5th Floor). In an email newsletter, FPC said District 7 City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who has the whole park in her District 7 and chairs the Ways & Means (Budget) Committee, " ...asked us to show up for one last chance to pass the City budget with funding for Franklin Park maintenance and management." Due to the sale of downtown's Winthrop Square Garage, the city provided $28 million to Franklin Park Coalition. $5 million will remain as the principal while the interest it generates will be available as cash every year: 70% for maintenance and 30% for programming. The maintenance projects and cultural/recreational programs are chosen via a vote by the trustees of Franklin Park.

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Jamaica Plain People

91 Year-Old Longtime Community Activist is Stable After Attack in Franklin Park

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Longtime community activist and Franklin Park Coalition member Jean McGuire was in the hospital and stable after being attacked while walking her dogs in Franklin Park. She was attacked on Oct. 11 around 8:30 pm and was found unconscious near White Stadium along Playstead Road near the Bear Dens and Long Crouch Woods by Boston Police. She had been stabbed several times, according to a Boston Police Facebook post.  She was attacked by an unknown suspect(s), and was transported to a hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries. McGuire, 91, has walked her dog safely and night for decades, according to an email by Rickie Thompson, President of the Franklin Park Coalition board of directors

"Jean, plucky as ever, fought off her attacker.

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Government

Meeting to Discuss State Plan for Shattuck Campus Temporary ‘Cottages’ for Mass and Cass Individuals on Dec. 20

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The state's plan to install 18 small "cottages" on the Shattuck campus to house homeless individuals living in the Mass and Cass area will be discussed at a virtual public meeting held by the Franklin Park Coalition on Dec. 20. Each cottage will have two beds, which would allow for couples to stay together, and plumbing and heating. The site will have 24/7 security in a security cabin. Occupancy of the cottages is scheduled to begin Dec.

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Sports

Franklin Park Coalition Turkey Trot Can Be Done on Your Own Schedule

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This year's Franklin Park Coalition Turkey Trot is going to be different this year because you know... This year's trot will be done at participants' pace, anything from Halloween through November 30. First off, register on the Coalition's website for $10 (but you can donate more) by clicking here (scroll to the bottom of the page).  website for $10, then run the Turkey Trot at your own pace and on your own schedule from October 31st through November 30th. All entrants will be eligible for raffle prizes. You can also win additional prizes by sharing your photos of your costume or of an interesting routes (can you form a turkey??) within the park on social media by using #FPTurkeytrot (tag @FranklinParkBos on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook)) or by email (turkeytrot@franklinparkcoalition.org).

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City Services

Participate In Franklin Park Action Plan Public Meetings on July 14

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The city's continuing its 18-month planning process to create a master plan for Franklin Park, and would like your help during upcoming online public meetings. The city has earmarked $28 million to update Franklin Park, and is creating a master plan. The plan is looking at a long list of elements to Franklin Park, including accessibility, arboriculture, ecology, equity, implementation strategy, inclusion, master plan document, soil science, urban planning, wayfinding, and more. There will be two online workshops on July 14, 12 pm and 6:30 pm. The Franklin Park Coalition also released a mini-poll seeking people's opinions on the poll.

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Arts
A scene from the 2015 Franklin Park Kite and Bike Festival.

Franklin Park Kite & Bike Festival May 18

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Untangle those kites and pump up your bicycle tires because the Franklin Park Kite & Bike Festival is on May 18. The annual tradition gathers hundreds of people for kite flying, bicycling, picnicking, music, food trucks and more. There will also be bicycle advocates and local nonprofits. "It’s a great community event! It’s a place where many neighbors come together and enjoy being in the park and enjoy spring.

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From the Community

Jamaica Plain’s Christine Poff Wins Landscape Design Council Award

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The Landscape Design Council (LDC) of Massachusetts has recognized Jamaica Plain's Christine Poff, the director of Boston's Community Preservation Committee, as a 2018 awardee for excellence in the field of landscape design. Poff is the 2018 recipient of the Landscape Design Council Award for Excellence, given in recognition of outstanding civic accomplishment. “Throughout her career, Christine has worked in many ways to make life better for citizens,” said LDC chairman George Papavasiliou, via press release. “We particularly applaud her efforts on behalf of Boston’s Franklin Park and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, which stand out as supportive of the Landscape Design Council’s mission.”

As political director of the National Association of Social Workers, Poff advocated for economic and social justice bills at the Massachusetts State House, but she is likely better known for her 14 years’ service as executive director of the Franklin Park Coalition, a nonprofit organization that gives a community voice to Boston’s Franklin Park. She worked to bring back such beloved park institutions as the Elma Lewis Playhouse, the FPC Youth Crew, and the annual Kite and Bike Festival.

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Neighborhood Life

You’re Invited: Community Preservation Act Forum in JP on April 3

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Boston has an additional $20 million this year to fund affordable housing, parks, open space and historic preservation thanks to the Community Preservation Act. On April 3rd, the Jamaica Plain community is invited to a public forum to share their ideas on how to spend that money. The Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) organized and will lead the forum with a host of elected officials sponsoring the event and local organizations as co-sponsors. Boston adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA) by voting in support of it in November 2016. More than 170 Massachusetts municipalities have adopted the CPA, according to the Community Preservation Coalition.

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Neighborhood Life

Survey: What Do You See for the Future of Franklin Park?

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As part of Imagine Boston 2030, the city held a meeting last week to gather feedback from residents on what they want for the future of Franklin Park. But don't worry: If you couldn't attend the meeting, there is an online survey you can fill out. The Feb. 16 meeting was organized by the city as part of its Imagine Boston 2030 initiative, in conjunction with the Boston Parks and Recreation departments and the Franklin Park Coalition. Representatives from the Emerald Necklace Conservancy were also in attendance and tweeted a photo of the meeting showing it was a packed house.

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Arts

A Hundred Kids Build Fairy Houses in Franklin Park

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It was glorious mild spring Thursday at Schoolmaster Hill in Franklin Park for the Third Annual Fairy House Building Workshop sponsored by the Boston Parks Department and the Franklin Park Coalition. Over a hundred boys and girls scampered over the drumlin collecting branches, leaves and cones to build houses for the magical woodland creatures that reappear in the springtime in New England fields and woods. Storytelling and books from Read Boston and the MassHort plant education tent were also on hand as well as face painting. The workshop showed kids of all ages how to have fun simply using natural items that are just lying around on the park floor under trees and shrubs.

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