Residents who live around Clifford Playground say if city officials are serious about improving safety and accessibility at the decrepit recreational area, more money needs to be invested.
About $7.2 million in the city’s $4.2 billion capital plan is being allocated towards redesigning the 8-acre Roxbury park, but residents say that won’t be nearly enough for enhancements given its close proximity to Mass and Cass, where people roam the streets, visibly buying, selling and using drugs.
Longtime advocate Domingos DaRosa led the call for action Tuesday as the city’s Parks and Recreation Department held an initial meeting in what officials say will be a series of conversations regarding the future of Clifford Playground.
“We need to have more money at this conversation. This community is asking for more money at this conversation,” DaRosa said. “This is the message that we are trying to relay back to the city. $7 million is not going to put this park back to where it needs to be when it’s been neglected for over 50 years.”
Residents supported DaRosa, who they say knows the park better than anyone else. DaRosa coordinates the Boston Bengals Pop Warner football program, which he considered dismantling last month as a lack of player interest, stemming from Clifford’s cruddy conditions, challenged its sustainability.
Area philanthropist Ernie Boch Jr., however, tossed a $15,000 donation that prevented DaRosa’s non-profit organization from collapsing after reading a Herald article on the state of the playground.
Cathy Baker-Eclipse, director of the Parks and Recreation’s capital plan, highlighted how the project is still in its infancy stages, and she’s unsure how its design phase will alter its budget.
“Your point remains that there has been an underinvestment, and that is fair,” Baker-Eclipse told DaRosa. “It’s something we will be continuing to evaluate as we develop … I don’t want the budget to be a limiting factor.”
Baker-Eclipse’s department is targeting bringing in water features and improving Clifford’s lighting. Adding cameras is also a possibility, while a concrete safety plan will be a topic of conversation with Boston Police Department and EMS, she said.
Resident Marla Smith has lived next to the park for decades. Her now adult children grew up playing at Clifford, and she said they looked forward to improvements over the years, including when the city brought in wood chips and additional play equipment.
But upgrades since have been few and far between, Smith said. She wants the park to look as welcoming as Garvey Playground in Dorchester and Millennium Park in West Roxbury.
“The playground equipment is old, the tot lot is full of homeless people 24 hours a day, and that makes it very unwelcoming for children to use,” Smith said. “There’s needles in there, there’s condoms in there…”
The next community meeting will be held in-person on Saturday, with residents being asked to gather at 10 a.m. in the area of 1010 Mass Ave.