Mayor's Budget Could Hurt Charlestown Community Center

Today is Thursday, April 14. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. The mayor released a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. It’s still just a proposal, but it includes cuts that would hurt Charlestown’s Community Center staff, among other municipal departments. I called the Community Center for details yesterday and was referred (because this is city policy) to a PR person at the Department for Youth and Families for more information. That person never returned my calls yesterday, but here’s what the Globe published on the cuts:

“… budget writers pointed to their proposal for the Boston Centers for Youth and Families. Thirty workers would be pulled out of five community centers — Harborside in East Boston, Kent in Charlestown, Orchard Gardens in Roxbury, Tynan in South Boston, and the Mason Pool in Roxbury. Another site — the Madison Park Community Center — would be transformed into a citywide focal point for sports and activities that would be named 'Rec-Hub.’ In the five facilities without staff, the city would seek private institutions or nonprofits to run programs."

The mayor’s budget still has to be approved by the City Council – and the council already announced plans to hold at least 30 budget hearings, so many things could change. But it seems appropriate to mention (again) that the Charlestown Community Center is holding a fundraiser this Sunday at the Warren Tavern. , and make a statement to City Hall. We’ll have a reporter at the event.

2. Thanks to Jason MacDonald for this tip: Looks like the neighborhood is in for some guerilla gardening this weekend. A group called the Black Pansies announced plans to install flowers in the “wasteland” that is Sullivan Square on Saturday night. Maybe I’m spoiling their plot by posting this here, though I doubt it, since Jason found their URL on Twitter. Check it out: www.blackpansies.com. Maybe join in the fun?

3. An interesting, upsetting tidbit from a recent press release issued from City Councilor Charles Yancey’s office: “Christopher Byner, the youth development unit manager of Boston Centers for Youth & Families’ Streetworker Program, said the objective of Streetworkers is to build relationships with Boston’s youth and young adults, 14 to 25 years old, and to introduce them to appropriate city programs that may steer them away from the streets. … Byner, who acknowledged that Boston employs 30 streetworkers and 34 youthworkers, noted that Boston is home to about 250 high impact players (those who play a major role in violence) and approximately 3,500 gang members.” That’s a lot of gang members, no? Also, can we agree that “streetworkers” is an unfortunately easy-to-confuse title for this very important social work role.

4. Today’s piece of Marathon-related trivia: The Hair Cuttery in Charlestown is congratulating any marathon runner with a free haircut. Just bring in your registration or bib number and it’s yours – for free. A haircut.

5. The day will start off cloudy, but we’ll some sun by the afternoon. Highs in the low 60s.

For more info on what’s happening around the neighborhood, check out our events calendar.