The Boston Common, America's first public park, is about to get a facelift, and the city wants residents' feedback.
City officials gave the public an overview of the Boston Common Master Plan Tuesday night at Emerson College. The plan, first announced by Mayor Marty Walsh in January, is in its initial phase.
The Walsh administration is proposing a $28 million upgrade to the Common, using funds from the October 2018 sale of the Winthrop Square Parking Garage. $5 million of those funds will go toward a maintenance endowment, and officials Tuesday night were looking for suggestions on how to spend the remaining $23 million. More than 100 people attended Tuesday's meeting.
Ryan Woods, commissioner of Boston Parks and Recreation, said public participation is key to the process.
"I think it's really important for residents and park users to know that this is an open process. No decisions have been made. We don't have a plan already formulated," he said.
City officials have drawn up a 19-question survey that they distributed at various events around the city this summer and which is also available online. Planners say the city has received more than 4,000 responses and are hoping to get 10,000 by the end of the year.
Many who frequent the Boston Common are eager to weigh in. Margaret Ann Brady, a Freedom Trail Foundation guide who has been giving tours for 12 years, says she begins her tours by saying, "the Boston Common is the people's park. It's our family room," in an effort to remind people not to confuse the Common with the Public Garden, which she likens to "the parlor where your mother puts the plastic on the furniture."
Sophia Gaufberg, a lifelong Boston resident who often visits Brewer Fountain on the Common, said she has a list of suggested upgrades, including music, public art and more bathrooms.
Liz Vizza, executive director of the Friends of the Public Garden, said more bathrooms is a popular suggestion, as is tree preservation. Some residents are advocating for improvements that would assuage safety concerns, like better lighting and wider pathways. Others say they would like to see programs that would help people experiencing homelessness.
Vizza said other proposals on the table include whether the Common should have a permanent dog park.
"Is this a time where we need to find some dedicated space for an off-leash fenced area? It may need to happen," she said.
Some park users don't want to see any changes at all. Artist Sean Boyce is among them, but he won't stand in the way of change.
"I don't know how to make it better," he said. "I'm a traditionalist, but I shouldn't stand in the way of progress."
The city hopes to begin making improvements by the end of next year.
