Friends of the Public Garden urges funding for tool shed, permanent restroom and downtown park administration

Rebecca Mckiewicz, director of capital projects and parks care for the Friends of the Public Garden, told the council the organization supports recent downtown investments but stressed several urgent capital needs for heavily used downtown parks.

Mckiewicz said the historic tool shed in the Public Garden remains in severe disrepair; design work is complete but construction has stalled and needs prioritization and dedicated project management within city departments. The Friends also highlighted temporary restrooms on the Boston Common that the Friends have supported with private funds — the Friends reported spending $1.5 million on the temporary restroom trailer since 2018 and said seasonal restroom funding in the city budget is now exhausted. The Friends noted the city included $100,000 in the next year’s budget but asked the council to prioritize a permanent restroom consistent with the Boston Common Master Plan.

The Friends urged the council to create a downtown parks administrator position identified in the Boston Common Master Plan to coordinate activation, management and maintenance across agencies and institutions that share responsibility for downtown spaces. The group also asked for a permanent allocation equal to 1% of the city’s annual capital and operating budget to support Boston’s public park system and make parks more climate resilient and accessible.

Department staff acknowledged the projects identified are priorities but said implementation depends on staffing, design resources and capital sequencing; the Friends offered to provide project management assistance subject to the commissioner’s concurrence. No formal action was taken at the hearing; the requests were presented as part of public testimony and will require budget or council follow‑up to secure implementation funding.