Rendering of equestrian and pentathlon facilities for Franklin Park in Boston 2024's '2.0' plan

With Death of the Olympic Bid, Franklin Park Coalition Urges Community to Support the Park Renovations

A community organization that speaks for the preservation of Franklin Park has called on the community and Boston 2024 to ensure efforts to revitalize the park continue even after the death of Boston’s Olympic bid. Since Mayor Marty Walsh refused to sign the Olympic agreement that put taxpayers on the hook for cost overruns, the U.S. bid will likely go to Los Angeles, WGBH reports. In a statement released Tuesday, the Franklin Park Coalition said Boston 2024 could “repair their reputation” by working with the community to leave a legacy that “creates goodwill and greater opportunity for future park-goers.”

“The city, state, foundations and corporations who worked together on the Olympics bid should remain focused on opportunities to invest in our city,” said the Coalition in a statement, “including Franklin Park.”

By working in concert with Franklin Park-goers, Boston 2024, the Coalition said, could show that residents—not the monied elite—are the true catalyst for community investment. As the bid evolved, Franklin Park was slated for various improvements, such as better transportation to the park, re-paving, a swimming pool and renovations to White stadium, according to a statement by the Coalition. Anita Morson-Matra, who serves of the Coalition's board of directors, said that Franklin Park is unique for its size and location--its 520 acres border Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester.

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Rendering of equestrian and pentathlon facilities for Franklin Park in Boston 2024's '2.0' plan

Boston 2024 Olympics Debate: What’s at Stake for JP?

Grab the popcorn, as they say, and tune in to Thursday night's debate between those who aim to bring the Olympics to Boston and those fighting tooth and claw against the idea. Here's a reminder of what's on the table for Jamaica Plain under the current plan. The debate airs on Fox 25 at 8 p.m. Thursday. You can also catch it on the web here or here or over the radio on WBUR. Here's a primer on the debate from WBUR.

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Boston 2024 Meeting in Jamaica Plain Draws Passionate Crowd

A Tuesday Boston 2024 community meeting went off-script and off-agenda when activists opposed to the games demanded their grievances be heard by city and Olympic officials. By 6 p.m. activists had gathered outside English High School in Jamaica Plain with signs reading “Don’t Play With JP.”

'Why Can't We Just Do Projects That Will Help?' One protester, member of No Boston Olympics Claire Blechman, of Somerville, said she thinks the Olympics would invariably overrun its budget, destabilize Boston communities, and lead to increased police presence. Blechman also said she wished the city of Boston would commit to making improvements to its infrastructure without the glitz and glam of the Olympic games as its sole motivator. “Why can’t we just do projects that will help?

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Rough map of JP sites for Boston 2024 in the 2.0 plan released Monday, June 29, 2015.

Boston 2024 Releases Olympic Proposal 2.0, Including Plans for Franklin Park

Boston 2024, a private group spearheading the city's bid to host the summer Olympics, unveiled an updated proposal Monday morning. One major change affecting JP would be that a pool is no longer being envisioned for Franklin Park. Looking at the new proposal from a city-wide perspective, the ambitious plan calls for the construction of two entirely new Boston neighborhoods. The proposal, dubbed 2.0, outlined plans for a temporary Olympic stadium that would seat 69,000, and would be completely repurposed or recycled after the games. Adjacent to the stadium, in "Midtown," are plans for 4,000 permanent units of housing, including 500 affordable units.

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Visuals: Boston 2024’s ‘2.0’ Plans For Franklin Park

Rendering of the legacy facilities envisioned after equestrian events and the pentathlon are held in Franklin Park in Boston 2024's 2.0 plan
On Monday morning, the private group promoting Boston as host for the 2024 Summer Olympics released renderings of how Franklin Park would be utilized. Here's a peek. Franklin Park would be home to the pentathlon and equestrians events, as was proposed in the initial Boston 2024 plan. However, a pool originally envisioned for Franklin Park would not be built, according to the revisions released Monday. Aquatics events are now listed as "TBA."

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New Grassroots Group Aims to Keep Franklin Park Out of the Olympics

On Tuesday, resident Chris Hoeh took the podium at First Church to announce that Franklin Park Area Stop the Olympics was in place  and in your face. Saying that "Jamaica Plain stopped I-95 and we can stop the Olympics," he urged everyone in the sanctuary to come out to the Mayors Boston Olympic Community meeting on June 30  to say Franklin Park and Harambee Park ( Franklin Field ) are not for the Olympics. "The meeting is a great opportunity!" In a hand-out, the group stated that Franklin Park Area Stop the Olympics was formed "in response to calls for locally organized resistance....We will help stop the Olympics and build the city we need." Hoeh - who lives on Adelaide street and is grade school teacher - spoke at the conclusion of a lecture by Smith College Professor Andrew Zimabalist on the "Economic Gamble of Boston 2024."

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JP Hosts Meeting on Olympic Displacement

Thursday night a trio of groups will host a discussion of possible displacement of residents by the 2024 Olympics. The event, hosted by No Boston 2024, Black Lives Matter and the Boston Homeless Solidarity Committee, begins at 7 p.m. at Hope Central Church, 85 Seaverns Ave. Here's a link to the Facebook event page. Dubbed "Olympic Sized Displacement," the panel will explore whether Boston residents would be forced from their homes should Boston 2024 succeed in bringing the Olympics to the city. Organizers of the forum cite a 2007 study that found 2 million people had been displaced in the previous 20 years because of the Olympics.

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Sara Myerson

Mayor Creates Office of Olympic Planning, Says Boston 2024 Will Pay For It

Mayor Marty Walsh has created an Office of Olympic Planning headed up by newly appointed executive director Sara Myerson, according to a press release. Previously, Myerson served as chief of staff and director of policy for Boston-based Preservation of Affordable Housing. The committee will be focused on developing Boston’s plan for hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For Franklin Park and other potential venues the office will look at economic analysis, mitigation analysis, public health and safety studies, and transportation planning. For now, Boston 2024 has proposed that Franklin Park would be a suitable venue for the modern pentathlon as well as equestrian events.

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Visual Guide: Boston 2024’s Plans for Franklin Park

As Boston 2024 moves forward with its Olympic bid, many are still unsure of what what means for the City of Boston, including frequent users of Franklin Park. Here's a quick visual guide to what's on the table. Boston 2024 CEO Richard Davey assured a roomful of skeptical residents surrounding the park that "we expect significant change," back in March during a spirited public meeting at the Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse. According to page 9 of Boston2024's proposal to host the Olympic Games, the committee would increase White Stadium's seating to 20,000 for the Modern Pentathlon as well as Equestrian events. It would provide room for a whopping 60,000 througout the William J. Devine Golf Course for viewing Equestrian Cross Country.

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Mayor’s Advice on Casey: ‘Try to Avoid It’

Mayor Marty Walsh makes a point during a press conference with neighborhood media on Wednesday, March 11, 2015. Credit: Chris Helms

Mayor Marty Walsh sat down with reporters and editors from neighborhood publications like the Jamaica Plain News on Wednesday. Here are some highlights from the conversation. Casey Arborway

The Casey project is state-run, but takes place on several city streets. Walsh has not taken a strong public role since before his election as mayor, when he buoyed bridge supporters by issuing a statement calling on the Department of Transportation to "fairly evaluate" replacing the Casey with a "beautiful modern bridge."

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