White Stadium opposition laid bare at 9 hour Boston hearing

Just five voiced support for the project.

“Boston students deserve a renovated White Stadium – they deserve a public White Stadium, not a private sports and entertainment complex built to enable private profits,” said Jean McGuire, resident of Roxbury and longtime civil rights advocate. “It’s clear that this entire process is being driven by the needs of private investments, not the needs of Boston students. The process has been launched, the state reviews having been conducted, and community members’ concerns about public access and transportation impacts are being ignored, all in a mad rush to next March for White Stadium in order to be a soccer team’s desired opening day.”

In addition to committee chair Julia Mejia, the other councilors there for the duration were District 6 Councilor Ben Weber, whose district abuts Franklin Park, and At-Large Councilor Erin Murphy and District 2 Councilor Ed Flynn. Both Flynn and Murphy have voiced their support for at least pausing the demolition in the interests of the council getting, in part, a better handle on the project’s costs.

In response to a question, Dion Irish, the city’s chief operating officer, upped the city’s share of the project from the $91 million that had emerged last month to “roughly $100 million.”

The soccer team’s share remains unknown, except that it will exceed the city’s share, which elevates the total cost above $200 million.

The meeting was split into two parts, with the morning and early afternoon devoted to discussions of finances and facilities, including the Madison Park high school renovation, and the latter session devoted to community engagement.

Mejia, a councilor at-large, said she would file a resolution for councilors to be polled on their support or lack of support for both White Stadium and Madison Park at the next City Council meeting on Jan. 29.

Diana Fernandez Bibeau, the deputy chief of urban design for the city, pushed back on the notion that the community was not part of the process.

“Our work without a doubt has been impacted by the community feedback that we’ve received today,” said Fernandez Bibeau. “I certainly understand that there is reservation of a particular type of partnership being able to sort of deliver on this project, but we have responded, and we have tried to sort of meet the community where they are in terms of where they are, in terms of where those concerns are, and try to address them every step of the way.

“I also want you to know that it’s hard to do this right, that it’s the reason why no other mayor has taken on the renovation of White Stadium, why no other administrations have taken on the hard work to go ahead and make an improvement at White Stadium and deliver on this promise for historically disinvested communities.”

Also on hand for portions of the meeting were District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, whose district encompasses Franklin Park and District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell, whose district also abuts the park. Also in attendance for portions of the meeting were Councilors John Fitzgerald, Enrique Pepén, Sharon Durkan, and Henry Santana.

Anderson expressed concern with the degree of engagement from the city with citizens.

“The administration should have told the community what planning and engagement would look like,” said Anderson. “We have not done enough to engage the community.”

Weber said he has heard both support and opposition for the plan from his constituents. He found it “disturbing” to hear that there has not been a community process. As for opponents like the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, who have filed a lawsuit that will go to trial in March, he said, “I hear a lot of rhetoric, I don’t hear much about solutions.”

“Some of the rhetoric around the opposition is not tied to the facts, and I wish that it was more tied to the facts, I think we could have a more constructive conversation,” Weber said.

Stevan Kirschbaum, a former BPS bus driver, described the White Stadium plan as “appalling and criminal.”

“We should be chaining ourselves to those trees – this is a criminal rush to judgment.”

Ann Walsh, a Dorchester resident, expressed the belief that the presence of the women’s professional team would be an inspiration to BPS student-athletes.

“My expectation is that a professional women’s soccer team is going to be a good commercial partner like the Red Sox are and offer mentorship and internships.”

Michael Silverman can be reached at michael.silverman@globe.com.