Recreation facilities & sports
Repairing and building community centers, gyms, pools, courts and fields where residents play and exercise.
Residents ask for safe, affordable and free places to play, swim and exercise, especially renovated gyms, pools, community centers, courts and fields.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
295 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 31 | 2.5% | 17 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 123 | 10.2% | 3 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 141 | 10.6% | 2 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Renovate worn gyms and community centers
Residents ask for new gym floors, bleachers, dividers and air conditioning, citing injury risk and heat. Hennigan in Jamaica Plain and the Josiah Quincy gym in Chinatown come up most.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
More and better community centers
Residents want new, rebuilt or more community centers, often in neighborhoods such as Allston-Brighton, Dorchester and low-income areas, and often for youth.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Public pools and swim access
Residents ask for new or repaired pools, especially in Allston-Brighton, Hyde Park and Jamaica Plain, and for swim lessons that people of any income can afford.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Basketball courts and sports fields
Residents ask for more, better-kept and safer basketball courts and athletic fields, including repairs to cracked or neglected courts.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Free or low-cost access and longer hours
Residents want free or affordable memberships, classes and rentals, plus weekend and winter hours, so cost and schedules do not keep people out.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
With only 31 ideas, this cycle had a scattered mix of asks, including community centers, pools, running tracks, adaptive sports and the Chinatown gym renovation.
2025–26
Ideas rose to 123, driven by many near-identical requests for Hennigan and Marshall BCYF repairs, plus calls for pools and youth centers.
2026–27
Ideas rose to 141, with a large cluster on Hennigan gym floor, divider and air conditioning repairs, and new requests for soccer fields and wrestling space.
New in 2026–27
New or growing asks include wrestling and combat sports training space, more soccer fields, free outdoor fitness classes and equipment in parks, and added Allston asks for a pool and ice rink at Jackson Mann.
Funding so far
No winning projects funded by resident vote relate to this theme, so none of the recurring asks (gym repairs, community centers, pools, courts and fields, free access) has been addressed yet.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
No winning project has addressed this theme yet.
Departments that often lead this work
- BCYF
- Parks & Recreation
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Recreation facilities & sports
295 ideas
2024–25: 31 · 2025–26: 123 · 2026–27: 141
- Urgent repair of the Hennigan poolResident asks for the Hennigan pool to be repaired quickly so community children can enjoy it.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Repair the BCYF Hennigan swimming poolResident asks for repair of the Hennigan pool, the only one in the community, so young minority children can learn to swim.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- New bleachers, gym floor and AC at HenniganResident asks for new bleachers, a new gym floor and air conditioning in the gym at the Hennigan Community Center.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- New gym floors and AC at Hennigan BCYFResident requests new gym floors and air conditioning for the Hennigan BCYF building.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- New gym floor, AC and bleachers at Hennigan BCYFResident asks for a new gym floor, air conditioning and bleachers at BCYF Hennigan to help people enjoy the space and connect with others.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Improve BCYF Hennigan gym floor, pool and ACThe resident asks for a better gym floor, pool and AC system at BCYF Hennigan.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- New BCYF Hennigan gym floor, AC and bleachersThe resident asks for a new gym floor, air conditioning and new bleachers at BCYF Hennigan.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Improve BCYF Hennigan gym floor, pool and ACThe resident asks for a better gym floor, pool and AC system at BCYF Hennigan.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- BCYF Hennigan gym floor, bleachers, AC and dividerThe resident asks for a new gym floor and bleachers, AC in the gym, and a fixed divider at BCYF Hennigan to provide a safe community place.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Upgrade BCYF Hennigan floor, AC and bleachersThe resident asks for a new floor, air conditioning and upgraded bleachers at BCYF Hennigan.2025–26Jamaica Plain
- Support sports activities in Boston communitiesResident asks the City to support all kinds of sports activities in Boston communities, as healthy body and mind promote community participation.2025–26City-wide
- More recreation centers for childrenResident asks for more recreation centers for children.2025–26City-wide
- More public tennis and pickleball courts in CharlestownResident asks for more free public tennis and pickleball courts in Charlestown and nearby areas so people of all incomes can play and support their physical and mental wellbeing.2025–26Charlestown
- Expand park with more youth sports optionsResident asks for more options for youth and an expanded park offering more sports.2025–26Dorchester
- Better maintenance of sports fieldsResident asks for better care of sports fields so they can be used at any time and anyone can play sports and be active.2025–26City-wide
- Make Lopresti safer and more funResident asks for improvements to Lopresti so that different people can have fun there and feel safe.2025–26City-wide
- Replace old gym floor used by BCYFReplace the old, rubbery gym floor, which is a safety hazard causing injuries in BCYF programs, to make activities safer for the community.2025–26Chinatown
- Replace unsafe gym floor and broken bleachersReplace the old rubber gym floor, which has a dangerous metal strip, and fix broken bleachers that put students and community members at risk of injury.2025–26Chinatown
- Upgrade gym floor and bleachersInstall a safer, high-quality gym floor and improved bleachers to create a better environment for students, athletes and spectators.2025–26Downtown
- More community centers for young peopleThe resident asks for more community centers for youth.2025–26City-wide