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Allston-Brighton residents press council to move Jackson Mann and McKinney projects into construction, reallocate 'City Hall on the Go' funds to parks
Summary
Speakers from Allston-Brighton asked the council to fully fund McKinney Playground ($1,563,000) and criticized continued study of Jackson Mann Community Center, urging reallocation of certain neighborhood-engagement line items to parks and rec operating funds.
Residents from Allston-Brighton testified that the capital budget should fund neighborhood park and community-center projects and that some city engagement line items should be reallocated to Parks & Recreation.
Pam Mullaney testified in support of a $1,563,000 line in the FY26 capital plan to fully fund McKinney Playground renovation and urged the council to find additional operating funds for the Parks and Recreation Department. Mullaney suggested shifting funding away from the Office of Neighborhood Services’ “City Hall on the Go” truck and from what she called “a Butters meetings” in order to prioritize parks.
Ricky Meike (Rat City Arts Festival director) criticized what he described as “another year to study the Jackson Mann” community center, saying repeated studies delay construction and deprive youth in Allston-Brighton of needed facilities. Meike compared youth and facility counts across districts to argue that Allston-Brighton has been underserved.
Witnesses asked the council to move projects into construction this summer and to consider operating-budget amendments to support parks and centers. Committee members said they will examine capital and operating requests during the working-session process; no vote or appropriation occurred at the hearing.
