Last week Mayor Martin Walsh and the City of Boston Community Preservation Committee (CPC) announced their recommendation to fund two projects in East Boston through the latest round of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding.
The two projects in Eastie join 65 other projects citywide totaling over $25.5 million in grants through the current funding round.
Under Historic Preservation $40,000 will go towards restoring Ohabei Shalom Cemetery wall and $50,000 will go to the Chelsea Terrace Urban Garden under Open Space and Recreation.
Following the CPC’s public hearing and vote on Thursday, February 11, 2021 and Mayor Walsh’s recommendation, the proposed projects have been filed with the Boston City Council for a vote of approval. Projects supported with Community Preservation Act funding must create or preserve affordable housing, historic sites, or open space and recreation.
“Projects supported by funding through the Community Preservation Act are a reflection of the needs and voices of the residents in our neighborhoods. Because proposals are developed and created by Bostonians, each project directly serves each of our communities,” said Mayor Walsh. “I want to thank everyone who submitted a project proposal to improve and preserve open spaces, affordable housing or historic spaces throughout the City of Boston.”
The $40,000 to the Ohabei Shalom Cemetery will be for rehabilitation and restoration of the historic 1903 Byron Street wall that is part of the state’s first Jewish Cemetery. The grant will pay for site work, resetting and repointing of all failed masonry.
The $50,000 to the 6 Chelsea Terrace Urban Community Garden will fund the design and water installation for successful crop growth to make recreational land more functional for the intended use as a community garden. Once approved by the City Council, Boston will have awarded over $92 million to support 198 projects across the City since residents voted to adopt the Community Preservation Act in 2016.