The excitement around a new plan to build multiple stand-alone community centers throughout Dorchester over the next 10 years was tamped down somewhat when some of the loudest advocates from Grove Hall were told in a meeting on Monday that their long-time preferred site would not be a center, but rather a park.

Several city agencies are combining efforts to engage every nook of the neighborhood in planning for the uses and programming in any potential free-standing Boston Center for Youth and Families (BCYF) community center. The final result could mean multiple community centers – perhaps as many as three to five such facilities – in different parts of Dorchester within a 10-year time frame.

“It can take up to six years,” said Allistair Lucks, project manager from the Public Facilities Department (PFD). “We’re at the very, very beginning tonight…This is a 10-year Master Plan to build new BCYF facilities in Dorchester.”

The study of programming and facilities is expected to take eight months and include three more meetings. Then, the city will begin to look at sites throughout the neighborhood on both public and private land – test-fitting each location for programming needs, size, existing assets, and cost.

As exciting as that sounded, the mood was darkened when advocates from Grove Hall began to testify about their long-time preference and urgency for a community center on Geneva Avenue behind the Jeremiah Burke High School. At that point, city officials seemed to throw a step-back curveball at the advocates in saying that site was going to be a park, not a center.

“That site is going to be a park,” said Kerrie Griffin, a Dorchester resident and director of PFD. “That has been in discussions for a few years now and is being looked at by the Parks Department and DND (Department of Neighborhood Development). I think there are other opportunities we could look at in the neighborhood…It might be old information, but that was the latest information I had that they were about to start permitting it.”

Mike Kuzo, of Project RIGHT, has been a long-time and vocal advocate of putting a community center on the Geneva Avenue site, and was incensed by the assertion that it would be a park.

“Why put a park in an area that doesn’t need it?” he asked. “The Parks Department can’t control public safety issues in the park. They come to us for help now. It would be more beneficial to have a community center than a park.”

Many of the other advocates from Grove Hall, which by far had the largest and most organized voices on the meeting, were also surprised at what they were hearing.

“I am one thousand percent behind Mike and all others in this community,” said Cynthia Moore. “As I was listening, I was confused because we need a community center and it’s going to be a park. How can we have a planning meeting and somebody somewhere has made the decision already that this is going to be a park?

“Parks are not a place for us to take our children and feel safe. To have a park there a half-mile from big Franklin Park doesn’t make sense either…At this point, it’s maybe time to look at the have-nots and give us something. I’m fighting with the have-nots.”

Added Rachel Simmons, “Putting another park there is opening up to the same situation we have…It gives another place for people to hang out and do drugs. There have been many attempts to put a community center here, but they have all closed.”

The Geneva Avenue space in question is situated in what Kozu and others call an “activity desert,” with little or no organized programs for youth. At one time, there was a tent-like bubble located there that housed youth programs and, according to neighbors, was very popular up until the point when it closed.

Some residents said it’s the best location because it’s neutral territory in regard to gang turf and neighborhood beefs.
“If Mike is pushing hard for a site to put a community center, I would give credit to that,” said District 4 Council candidate Evandro Carvalho, who is a former Dorchester state representative.

ADSL Director Candice Gartley, who agreed with the Grove Hall advocates, said Fields Corner is in the same boat. She stressed that any sites should be located first in areas like Fields Corner and Grove Hall where there are few resources now.

“I really feel we haven’t done our job to provide our community a safe place for families to go,” she said.

Joy DePina, who manages a BCYF Center at the Marshall School, said it would be important to build multiple centers and not just one or two, as that would likely spark inter-neighborhood issues over getting the resource – or not.

Marilyn Forman, of the Codman Square area, said she recalled growing up in the neighborhood and having ample opportunities at the Robert Gould Shaw House – a program based on Blue Hill Avenue and Columbia Road where Stash’s Pizza now sits. She said something in that location – such as in the Endicott School - that stressed the arts and crafts would be a great idea. “Arts have been something taken away,” she added.

The heart of the city’s effort is to begin a process now to start planning for what communities would like to see in a new center That study would be done in May 2022.

“This is a planning exercise now and will develop the program each neighborhood wants,” said Griffin. “Based on that program, we will do analysis and test fits on sites, not just city-owned sites, but private acquisition sites. The goal is to develop a 10-year plan where we’re building multiple sites in Dorchester.”

The effort is being co-led by a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) nominated by the city and elected officials. The CAC includes: Charlie Conners, Boston Parks; Mike Joyce, Boys & Girls Club of Dorchester; Mike Kozu, Project RIGHT; Erico Correia, Project RIGHT; Tara Register, Dorchester CARES Coalition; Paul Malkemus, the Boston Project Ministries; Marilyn Forman, Codman Square Health Centers; Cynthia Loesch, Codman Square Neighborhood Council; Marti Glen, Hancock Street Civic Association; Steve Power, Jones Hill Association; Hiep Chu, Fields Corner Civic Association; Emmett Folgert, Dorchester Youth Collaborative; Laquisa Burke, WOW Coalition; Nina Johnson-Letona, Woodrow Avenue Neighborhood Association; Duane Osborn, Nubian Square business owner; Ed Gaskin, Greater Grove Hall Main Streets; and Faarooq Sahabdeen, NAACP Boston Branch.