New Funding for South End Library

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that as part of his commitment to investing in projects that are important to each neighborhood, an additional $400,000 in new funding for the South End Library has been secured and is included in the Imagine Boston Capital Plan (Fiscal Year 2019 - Fiscal Year 2023). Altogether in the Capital Plan, $500,000 in new funding will be allocated for the South End Library, in addition to the $132,000 previously allocated for improvements that include an interior reconfiguration project.

"The South End library is a very important asset to the neighborhood, and I am proud that we are investing in its future for our residents," said Mayor Walsh. "In this year's Capital Plan, we are designating both initial funding for a study that will help determine the scope and scale of any future investments, while also proactively preparing for the next steps that will follow that study. I have made it very clear that I am fully committed to seeing this important project through, and I look forward to working together with the community in planning are preparing for the new future of the South End library."

The investment includes $100,000 in FY19 for a critical facility assessment that will review neighborhood goals and develop an updated building program that reflects BPL's strategic vision for supporting the future needs of the neighborhood. The additional $400,000 is allocated in future fiscal years (FY20-23) for additional interior improvements based on the results of the facility assessment.

“I consider myself lucky to live in a city where its mayor is committed to making unprecedented financial investments in public libraries and, by extension, the economic health of neighborhoods. In the South End, that means investing in the educational and social well-being of one of the most racially and economically diverse communities in Boston,” said Marleen Nienhuis, President of Friends of South End Library. “Combined with the Friends of the South End Library’s private fundraising, this public investment will greatly improve the delivery of important Boston Public Library services and top-notch programming for the South End. The library’s newly created seating, browsing, meeting and reading spaces will make the branch a shining example of what an engaged Friends group, supported by its elected officials, can do for what is indisputably the South End’s most important civic space which, best of all, is free to all.”

Today’s announcement builds on Mayor Walsh’s commitment to bring all libraries into the 21st century and provide every neighborhood with a civic center for residents to learn, spend time and interact with each other, we are investing in the design process that will  community. As part of his Imagine Boston 2030 Capital Plan, Mayor Walsh is designating $128 million over the next five years for investments in library branches across the city.

For more information on the Imagine Boston Capital Plan, please visit Budget.Boston.Gov. To follow the progress of other Boston Public Library projects, visit www.bpl.org/branchcapitalprojects.

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