The city’s Parks and Recreation Department led residents from Roxbury and other nearby neighborhoods through a two-hour two of Clifford Playground on Saturday, but no members from the City Council attended.
In fact, you would have had a hard time knowing that the community engagement was occurring if you were to scroll through the councilors’ recent Twitter feeds.
Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia was the only member of the 13-person council that posted a flier on Twitter advertising the two conversations that the parks department held this week on the park’s future.
Resident Lissette Rodriguez, during the initial virtual meeting held via Zoom on Tuesday, asked how the city is going about its outreach to alert the community that these conversations are taking place.
“I want everybody’s voices to be heard. I’ll be at as many meetings as possible,” said Rodriguez, who said she is concerned whenever her children and father stop by Clifford due to its conditions. “Safety, everyone puts it at the forefront, but again, it’s not just for the kids … I’m in the community. I’m not going anywhere, and I want it to be safe.”
The typical process of advertising the meetings is putting up flyers around the neighborhood and signs up at the park, said Cathy Baker-Eclipse, director of the parks department’s capital plan. Her department’s offices, at 1010 Massachusetts Ave., overlook Clifford Playground.
Going forward, the department will consider putting up flyers at bodegas and other stores, Baker-Eclipse said.
Council President Ed Flynn, who stopped by Clifford Playground last month to speak with Domingos DaRosa, coordinator of the Boston Bengals Pop Warner football program, attended a ceremony Saturday morning that dedicated U.S. Highway 20 as the Medal of Honor Highway.
Councilor At-Large Erin Murphy, who filed hearing orders this week pertaining to Mass and Cass, attended the same ceremony with Flynn after a morning walk with Family and Friends Living Healthy.
The annual Boston Children’s Rec Fest, scheduled for Tuesday at Franklin Park, received more attention from councilors on Twitter this week, with several posting advertisements for it.
Staffers from Boston EMS and various city departments, including the Mayor’s Office of Housing, Office of Neighborhood Services, and the Coordinated Response Team, did, however, show up to Saturday’s walk-through of Clifford Playground which is in close proximity to Mass and Cass, a growing homeless encampment prone to heavy drug use.