►
Description
Host Lois Leonard is joined by Boston Parks and Recreation Commissioner,
Ryan Woods.
As Commissioner, he oversees more than 2,600 acres of neighborhood parks, playgrounds, tot lots, athletic facilities, city squares and urban wilds, as well as the City of Boston's inventory of public street trees. The Department also has jurisdiction over three active cemeteries, 16 historic burying grounds and two golf courses.
A
Welcome
to
commissioner's
corner
I'm
your
host
lois
leonard
and
thanks
for
joining
us
as
pandemic
restrictions
are
lifted.
We
are
all
excited
and
more
than
ready
to
get
out
of
our
homes
and
enjoy
some
freedom
and
explore
new
adventures,
but
one
does
not
necessarily
need
to
get
on
a
plane
and
jet
out
of
here.
A
Perhaps
looking
in
your
own
neighborhood,
for
some
activities
is
all
you
need
with
us
today
is
commissioner
of
parks
and
recreation
ryan
woods
here
to
update
us
on
all
the
city
has
to
offer
and
how
his
department
keeps
it
available
to
us.
Well
welcome
commissioner
woods.
Thank
you
so
much
for
joining
us
today.
A
B
The
one
good
thing
I
can
say
that
came
out
of
this
pandemic
is
people
realized
how
important
park's
role
is
in
everybody's
lives,
their
place
for
outside
for
relaxation
respite
recreation,
rejuvenation
all
the
r's
all
together
there,
but
we
had
to
make
some
changes
throughout
the
year,
so
we
had
to
make
sure
that
our
parks
were
safe.
They
remained
welcoming,
and
that
may
mean
we
had
to
shut
down
playgrounds
for
a
period
of
time.
B
A
Well,
I
personally
enjoyed
those
walks
out
in
the
parks
myself.
So
thank
you
for
that
and
now
today,
as
we
look
forward
to
the
reopening
of
businesses
with
no
restrictions,
I
would
imagine
the
amount
of
people
coming
into
our
cities
will
increase.
So
how
will
your
team
address
the
demands
that
will
probably
also
increase.
B
I
think
we've
been
on
all
year
long
one
thing
with
the
parks
department
is
we
really
didn't
get
to
work
from
home?
Most
of
our
staff
worked
throughout
the
pandemic.
Like
I
said,
we
just
had
some
restrictions,
but
we're
going
to
have
to
increase
the
amount
of
times
we're
emptying
trash
barrels
we're
going
to
have
to
stay
on
top
of
mowing
the
lawn
we
have
all
of
our
athletic
fields.
Coming
back
last
year,
some
baseball
softball
football.
B
Whatever
sport,
it
was
decided
to
take
a
year
off
and
they're
all
coming
back
this
year,
putting
improper
precautions
in
place,
of
course,
but
really
to
stay
on
top
of
lining
those
baseball
fields,
making
sure
everything
is
safe
for
people
to
come
into
our
park
to
making
sure
it's
a
welcoming
experience.
So
our
hard-working
staff
is
going
to
stay
on
top
of
it
to
get
to
all
331
properties
that
we
own
throughout
the
city.
A
B
Our
emerald
necklace
is,
is
our
gem
of
our
park
system.
It
was
created
by
frederick
law
olmsted,
who
is
celebrating
his
200th
birthday
next
year
in
2022,
and
it
was
made
as
a
link
to
connect
the
boston,
common
public
garden
with
the
gem
of
the
emerald
necklace,
which
is
the
500
acres
of
franklin
park,
and
over
the
past
decade
we've
had
historic
investments
in
our
historic
parks,
and
that
is
all
new
pathways
throughout
franklin
park.
B
Doing
4.7
million
dollars
of
renovation
at
jamaica
pond,
as
you
walk
through
olmsted
park,
just
got
a
million
dollar
renovation
and
from
the
sale
of
winthrop
square
downtown.
28
million
dollars
was
allocated
to
do
a
action
plan
in
franklin
park
where
we
actually
have
some
money
to
put
behind
improvements
for
the
first
time
in
decades
into
franklin
park
and
then
we're
going
to
move
through
with
the
muddy
river
that
we're
working
with
the
army
corps
of
engineer.
B
We
daylit
the
river
we're
now
doing
all
this
dredging
to
take
on
more
storm
water,
to
get
rid
of
soils
in
certain
areas
to
mow
down
the
phragmites
and
then
do
some
more
pathway
improvements.
So
it's
a
really
exciting
time
in
the
emerald
necklace
with
all
the
improvements,
but
they
are
the
gem
of
our
system.
B
It's
really
important
we're
very
excited
that
all
boston
residents
are
within
the
10-minute,
walk
from
their
front
door
to
the
nearest
park,
but
the
quality
of
that
park
that
is
always
differing
from
your
front
door.
So
one
thing
we're
making
an
effort
is
really
making
our
playgrounds
more
universally
accessible,
so
kids
of
all
abilities
people
of
all
ages,
whether
it's
the
caretaker
that's
taking
the
child
to
the
park
or
that
child
with
disability
that
they
all
have
opportunities
in
every
single
playground.
B
So
we
just
did
a
recent
renovation
in
roxbury
on
interval
street
for
children's
playground.
That
is
a
fully
universal
playground
and,
of
course
everyone
knows
about
the
newest
edition
of
martin's
park
named
after
martin
richard
the
youngest
victim
of
the
boston
marathon
bombing
right
behind
the
children's
museum
that
has
a
ginormous
pirate
ship
that
he
has
all
this
kind
of
dramatic
play
swings
slides,
and
it's
made
sure
that
every
feature
can
be
used
of
people
of
all
abilities.
So
it's
it's
our
new
way
of
doing
business,
we're
very
excited
about
it.
A
C
C
We've
had
such
a
difficult
last
14,
15
months,
all
across
our
country,
all
across
our
world,
with
a
global
pandemic,
but
this
right
here
is
a
sign
of
hope
of
renewal,
and
I'm
just
so
excited
I'm
grateful
to
everyone
who
has
made
this
happen.
I
certainly
want
to
shout
out
our
amazing
parks,
commissioner
ryan
woods,
for
his
leadership
in
the
city.
Please
give
it
up
for
him
and
his
entire
team,
certainly
to
ryan
and
phil.
I
mean
lynn
and
phil.
I
really
appreciate
your
leadership
and
to
all
of
the
families
here.
C
B
That's
correct:
lois,
our
permits
are
free
in
the
city
of
boston,
so
is
once
somebody
goes
on
to
our
website.
Boston.Gov
backsplat,
back,
slash
parks.
Excuse
me
they're
able
to
go
on
and
create
a
permit
application
and
submit
it
have
their
own
account.
So
it's
easy
to
go
back
and
make
changes
as
needed,
but
all
permits
are
free,
but
we
do
encourage
all
permits
for
organized
activity,
whether
it
be
sports
or
large
birthday
parties,
gatherings
special
events
and
they're
all
free
of
charge
and
accessible
on
our
website.
A
B
Yeah
we're
grateful
again
that
our
friends
at
blue
cross
blue
shield
came
on
to
help
sponsor
our
fitness
program,
we're
offering
over
25
free
classes
every
single
week
in
16
neighborhoods
throughout
the
city,
so
whether
you're
that
guru,
that
can
do
the
boot
camp
or
high
intensity
fitness,
unlike
myself
or,
if
you'd
more
before,
prefer
to
have
zumba
classes,
tai
chi
classes
or
yoga
classes
in
the
park.
They're
free
of
charge,
25
classes
every
single
week,
starting
now
all
the
way
through
the
beginning
of
october.
B
B
You
know
it
might
be
making
one
day
it
might
be
making
you
know,
mass
out
of
paper
plates
and
popsicle
sticks,
but
activities
for
kids,
as
well
as
on
the
weekends
doing
our
our
painting,
workshops,
watercolor
painting,
so
we'll
have
locations
such
as
scarborough
pond
or
millennium
parks
and
picturesque
parks.
Where
we
provide
all
the
paints
all
the
canvas.
All
you
do
is
have
to
show
up
all
free
of
charge.
We
just
ask
you
to
come
out
and
enjoy
your
local
park.
A
B
They
will
we're
excited
to
have
the
frog
pond
officially
open
the
last
week
of
june
this
year.
It's
a
great
place
in
this
historic
park
to
come
down
and
cool
down
for
the
summer.
We'll
have
some
sort
of
large
celebration
as
we
open
at
the
end
of
june
with
ice
creams
and
face
painting
and
activities
for
kids.
It
also
has
the
carousel
right
there
near
the
frog
pond,
so
we
encourage
people
to
come
down,
make
a
day
of
it
and
enjoy
splashing
around
in
boston's.
First,
in
america's
first
park,.
A
B
B
That's
open
to
the
public-
and,
I
will
say,
a
george
wright
golf
course
that
is
named
after
obviously,
the
person
who
started
playing
at
franklin
park
started
in
1938,
and
this
year
we
were
proud
that
it
was
just
listed
as
number
59
of
100
courses,
public
courses,
one
of
the
best,
so
one
of
the
best
public
courses
in
the
whole
country
at
number
59,
and
it's
something
we're
thrilled
about.
We've.
B
We
do
we
have
19
cemeteries.
Three
of
them
are
active
burial
grounds,
16
historic
burial
grounds,
so
those
16
historic
burial
grounds.
Many
of
them
are
lying.
The
freedom
trail
are
open
daily
for
people
to
walk
through,
there's
also
nightly
tours
with
the
gravestone
tours
that
are
done
by
the
trolley
tour
companies
to
explore
those
gravestones
at
night
they're
a
great
place
to
go
through,
find
history,
there's
all
sort
of
historic
markers
as
you
walk
through,
but
it's
a
great
activity
to
spend
the
afternoon
during
the
summer.
A
A
B
We
estimate
we
have
about
125
000
trees
throughout
the
city
of
boston
and
we're
in
the
middle
of
an
urban
forestry
plan,
we're
doing
the
fir
for
the
first
time
ever
a
full
assessment
to
learn
how
many
trees
we
have
what
kind
of
trees
they
are.
What
condition
you
know?
Are
they
good
fair,
dead,
dying
or
diseased,
so
we
really
can
make
a
plan
and
how
we
replace
these
trees
and
really,
you
know
how
we
move
forward
with
our
tree
canopy
coverage.
B
So
it's
exciting
to
have
this
for
the
first
time,
we'll
know
where
those
empty
tree
pits
are
where
we
can
plant
new
trees
throughout
the
city,
and
we
just
moved
from
planting
a
thousand
street
trees
a
year
to
2000
street
trees
a
year,
so
we
are
working
throughout
the
spring
and
the
fall
are
rigorously
planting
and
available
in
open
tree
pits
and
we
encourage
neighbors
to
engage
with
us
and,
let
us
know,
do
you
want
a
tree
in
front
of
your
home?
You
know
we'd
love
to
add
more
trees.
B
So
if
you're
your
tree,
your
street
is
barren
and
can
use
a
street
tree
there,
we'd
love
to
put
it
in
and
we'll
just
make
sure,
there's
still
enough.
Ada
accessibility,
it's
within
10,
you
know
further
than
10
feet
from
the
nearest
utility,
so
it
can
fit.
But
if
you
check
all
those
boxes,
we're
more
than
happy
to
place
a
tree
in
front
of
your
home.
A
B
I
mean
that
park
has
an
interesting
history.
It
started
as
the
gardner
street
landfill
and
we're
able
to
use
a
lot
of
the
soil
from
the
big
dig
in
order
to
create
this
park
in
this
park.
That's
filled
with
playgrounds,
walking,
loops,
softball
fields
now
has
a
track
and
football
field,
as
well
as
a
baseball
field,
and
it
has
a
canoe
launch.
So
it's
one
of
our
only
canoe
launches
that
you
can
go
out
there
and
get
right
to
the
boston
harbor.
So
it
really
is
something
for
everybody.
B
It's
a
place
where
you
always
see.
People
walk
their
dogs
and
some
improvements
right
now,
we're
in
the
community
process
to
update
and
renovate
the
playground
at
the
top
and
do
a
bathroom
study.
That
is
something
we
hear
over
and
over
there's
not
a
lot
of
public
restrooms,
especially
in
that
area
of
west
roxbury.
A
And,
of
course,
with
all
the
trees
that
surround
that
park,
I
enjoy
the
birds,
there's
a
lot
of
bird
watchers,
that
I've
noticed
in
the
area
as
well,
and
I
think
that's
pretty
remarkable
for
a
city
like
boston
or
any
city
in
the
country
that
can
have
that
kind
of
open
space.
So
it's
just
lovely.
So
what
comes
next
for
parks
and
recreation?
I
think
we
spoke
about
some
of
the
improvements
you're
making
to
franklin
park.
I
think
you
mentioned
moakley
park.
Is
there
anything
else?
B
Sure
we
have
a
lot
of
planning
studies
underway,
we're
in
the
midst
of
the
boston
common
master
plan
that
franklin
park
action
plan
we're
re-envisioning
moakley
to
help
it
boston
to
in
you
know
so.
Boston
homes
aren't
inundated
with
water.
Moakley
park
will
be
able
to
take
on
storm
water
flow
will
take
on
the
rising
sea
level
and
be
able
to
have
areas
that
are
floodable
certain
times
of
the
year,
but
other
times
are
passive
park
space.
B
So,
instead
of
building
a
16
foot
cement
wall
to
stop
the
storm
water
or
stop
the
sea
level
rise
rather
from
coming
into
the
park,
we're
really
creating
passive
parks
on
the
edge
that
can
take
on
the
inundation
of
water.
But
then
the
other
seven
eight
months
of
the
year,
they
are
full
usable
park
open
passive
spaces.
So
we're
excited
about
that.
We're
also
working
on
that
urban
forestry
plan.
B
As
I
mentioned,
and
a
parcel
priority
plan
where
we
asked
neighbors,
let
us
know
about
vacant
parcels
that
are
near
your
homes
that
you
know
maybe
could
be
future
in
the
future
required
to
be
public
open
space.
So
that
might
be
an
open
field,
that's
at
the
end
of
your
street
and
whether
it's
publicly
owned
privately
owned.
We
want
to
know
about
it.
So
when
we're
able
to
acquire
more
land
in
our
densely,
you
know
populated
city,
we
want
to
make
as
many
parks
as
we
can
so
know.
Those
opportunities
are
out
there.
A
Well,
thank
you
so
much.
I
have
to
say
the
the
amount
of
work
that
brings
such
enjoyment
and
you
know
most
of
us
don't
certainly
don't
realize
when
we
walk
into
a
park
and
take
advantage
of
these
services.
We
don't
know
the
behind
the
scenes,
the
amount
of
work
that
goes
in
to
maintaining
and
also
the
the
future
creative
plans
that
you
have
in
mind,
especially
keeping
in
mind
green
and
sustainable
and
just
moving
our
city
forward
in
a
wonderful
way.
B
Thanks
lois,
yes,
I
must
credit,
the
hard-working
men
and
women
of
the
boston
parks
department,
whether
it's
the
park
rangers
or
animal
control,
our
horticulture
division,
our
maintenance
division,
our
landscape,
architects.
We
really
are
a
team
and
really
trying
to
create
those
fun
spaces
that
people
feel
safe
and
welcomed
in
so
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
that
and
we
hope
somebody
everyone
visits
one
of
our
local
branches
this
summer,
to
throw
the
pun
in
there
to
visit
one
of
your
local
parks.
So
we
hope
to
see
you
in
the
park
this
summer.
A
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
So
much
for
joining
us,
we'll
see
you
again
soon
and
thank
you.
Our
viewers
for
watching
many
of
us
are
grateful
for
having
had
such
accessible
and
wonderful
outdoor
spaces
to
enjoy
during
the
pandemic.
A
simple
walk
outside
during
this
challenging
time
was
sometimes
the
one
thing
that
kept
many
of
us
saying.
So,
let's
not
take
these
resources
for
granted,
enjoy
them
and
for
all
the
information
you
need.
Please
go
to
their
website
at
boston.gov
parks
and
we'll
see
you
next
time
on
commissioner's.