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Residents press council for public-restroom funding, bike-lane protections and release of South End Library capital funds

Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means · March 25, 2026

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Summary

At the March 24 listening session, neighborhood advocates sought capital and operating changes: release of South End Library funds, pilot grants for planter barriers to enforce bike lanes in West Roxbury, and expanded public-restroom access near transit hubs.

Neighborhood advocates used the March 24 Ways and Means hearing to press councilors on several infrastructure and capital priorities.

Yvette Jaro, president of the Friends of the South End Library, asked the committee to support releasing capital funds approved for the South End Library project so construction can start. "We've been closed for almost 5 years," she said, urging the committee to influence release of current fiscal-year funds so the project can move forward.

In West Roxbury, residents asked for a low-cost, community-driven pilot to install heavy concrete planters as physical barriers to prevent cars from parking in bike-lane buffer zones. "Paint is not protection," said Michael Zolch, who proposed a community planter grant that would allow residents to petition for installations at high-risk intersections and maintain them locally.

Representatives of Boston DSA and other transit advocates urged investment in public restrooms near major transit hubs and improvements to existing facilities, citing dignity, accessibility and support for people with medical needs. Jack Fersey of Boston DSA recommended increased maintenance, extended hours and new restroom sites around T stations to support car-free mobility.

Ricky Meinke, director of the Rat City Arts Festival, and other neighborhood speakers asked the council to prioritize capital funding for a Jackson Mann Community Center in Austin/Brighton, citing underinvestment in youth and arts spaces.

Councilors took no formal action during the listening session; written testimony on these items was added to the record for future budget deliberations.