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 the Boston Common to libraries, schools, and all the services our residents rely and depend on, 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 Beacon Hill, we’re investing in some exciting initiatives and projects that we hope you and your neighbors will enjoy for many years to come.
In Beacon Hill, we’re continuing to invest in the equitable, accessible parks and open spaces residents enjoy every day. We’re investing $500,000 to develop the Boston Common Master Plan, which will guide future park efforts to bring the nation’s oldest public park up to the highest levels of excellence it deserves.
We’re also investing $500,000 for restoration and conservation work on the Robert G. Shaw/54th Regiment Memorial on the Boston Common, with up to $2.5 million from the National Parks Service and Friends of the Public Garden.
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.