Who we are

We're neighbors, residents, activists, joggers, golfers, environmentalists, dog walkers, baseball players, kids and senior citizens.  Whether living in park neighborhoods - Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester - or beyond, what we all have in common is our desire to make Franklin Park a jewel in the Emerald Necklace.

We work on making this a park for everyone, on caring for the trees and plants, and fighting for improvements. We want to bring community people into the park more, whether it's to see a concert at the Elma Lewis Playhouse in the Park, hike in the 200 acres of woods,  play in one of the tot lots, or use the tennis courts. 

Join us in our efforts.  Come to a clean-up, help clear invasive weeds that are killing trees, or organize a volunteer day with your company, church, neighborhood group, or school.  Help us advocate for more park funding and attention from the City of Boston.  Join a walking tour. Attend one of our meetings.  Get involved.  It's your park, you can create the future.

Read the Franklin Park Coalition 2007 Strategic Plan to learn more about our goals and priorities for the next three years.

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Our Achievements

We've accomplished a lot in the past five years!   (see newsletters)

· We saved the park rangers from elimination in the city budget.  The Coalition delivered several hundred hand-written post cards to elected officials, park users spoke up at public hearings, and Mayor Menino used our Annual Meeting to announce that he would save the Rangers. In 2008 Park Rangers will become permanent city employees - which means they can't be on the chopping block when the city needs to cut programs.

· We removed a park eyesore – an unused cement bathroom, covered with graffiti, that could not be reclaimed and was frequented by drug dealers.  Mayor Menino persuaded Big Dig contractor, Suffolk Construction, to demolish the bathroom free of charge. Enough cement for an eight story hotel was hauled away! Coalition volunteers planted 100 trees and shrubs to create a model forest understory on the site, using plants donated by Weston Nurseries.  Our Summer Youth Crew helps maintain the plants today.

· We began a Woodlands Restoration Campaign to restore and preserve Franklin Park's forest - the largest in Boston. Dying and dead trees need to be removed, invasive plants cleared, and new saplings planted in order to ensure the woodlands will survive another century and longer. 

· We created the Summer Youth Conservation Crew, providing jobs for teenagers from local neighborhoods. Crew members learn landscaping and other job skills, while becoming park leaders and role models to younger children. 

· We are reviving Elma Lewis' Playhouse in the Park. The city's ParkARTS stage is set up near the original Playhouse site at the Overlook ruins and performances every Tuesday morning and evening bring hundreds to the park. Bookmark the Calendar of Events page to see the 2008 schedule this spring.

· We've worked to organize park friends groups and greenspace-related organizations citywide to create a movement for parks in Boston. Read more about BPAC - Boston Park Advocates Coalition. FPC sponsored the first-ever city council candidates' debate on parks in 2005. With partner organization, BNAN - Boston Natural Areas Network, we spearheaded creation of a "green paper" for newly elected governor, Deval Patrick. And we recruit park advocates to testify at city council hearings on the budget for parks every spring.

Thanks to generous funders from around New England, we are growing and expanding, reaching more community residents and working to improve Franklin Park and all of Boston's greenspaces.

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Our Goals

What can we do to bring more people to Franklin Park, to realize its potential as the jewel of the Emerald Necklace?  We're working to:

Increase community participation and involvement - more local park users and residents making decisions about the park.  Nature walks and park tours help bring newcomers to the park and show longtime park users places they have never been.

Improve public safety perceptions so everyone feels comfortable in our park - increased patrolling from Boston Precinct and Municipal Police, Park Rangers, and State Police.   

Make capital improvements - beautifying park entrances and historic places.

Restore the woodlands - clearing invasive plants, removing dead trees, planting new saplings, and maintaining paths so we'll still have a forest in 50 years.   

Improve park management, so that large events don't overwhelm the park and maintenance standards are followed. The Coalition advocates for a Franklin Park Management Plan to direct large events, transportation and parking, maintenance, and the many different issues facing this large and complicated park.

Build youth stewardship, involving students all year round in caring for and promoting the park as a neighborhood space.

Address traffic and transportation problems, including better public transit, traffic calming, and closing the main park road to cars on Sundays.  We want walkers, rollerbladers, and cyclists to enjoy the park in safety.  Improved public transportation will increase citywide access to Franklin Park and ensure parking needs don't take away valuable greenspace.

To join our work, e-mail us at mail@franklinparkcoalition.org.

 

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