Demanding answers about the stagnant rebuilding process of a new Boston Center for Youth and Families (BCYF) Jackson Mann Community Center, several Boston City Council members, state elected officials, community organizations and roughly 200 demonstrators gathered in Allston-Brighton Tuesday evening.

They met in front of the condemned but still operating Jackson Mann, calling attention to what they say is insufficient funding and planning for a new building by the Wu Administration. The rally was hosted by District 9 councilor and City Council President Liz Breadon.

“I don't really understand why there's such difficulty in moving this forward,” said Breadon. “This is the only old city community center that we have, and it's barely able to function because it's been underfunded and [under]resourced.

On April 8, the City of Boston released the FY27-FY31 Capital Plan, a $4.4 billion blueprint that encompasses 321 projects to be started or completed over the next half decade, according to the City of Boston website.

Despite brewing discussions about a new Allston-Brighton BYFS Center for over seven years, the city slotted $10 million for the project in the plan, which many at the rally said is inadequate. Breadon is asking for the city to commit $65 million towards the project.

According to the plan, the BCYF Allston Study is still underway; the project description says that the city is to “develop building programs and assess siting options.” According to Breadon, a programming study, siting study and land use study have already been conducted, and there is no concrete timeline for project execution.

“This moment represents another time we are told to wait—we’re told to wait for another study,” said Allston organizer Brandon Bowser. “But study after study has confirmed what we already know and what we've been saying for years – that this, this current building is outdated and no longer meets the needs of our community.”

Breadon was supported by all four city councilors at large, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy and Henry Santana. Massachusetts House of Representatives Majority Leader Mike Moran, State Rep. Kevin Honan, and State Senator William Brownsberger also vocalized their support for the project.

“Jackson Mann has been the sole community center serving Allston-Brighton – Boston’s second-largest neighborhood by area and population – for over 50 years,” said Breadon.

Several speakers drew a comparison between the project and the rebuilding of other community centers in other neighborhoods. A new BCYF North End project cost was given $110 million while another new BCYF project in Dorchester was allocated $65 million, according to Breadon.

A 2019 external engineering study on the Jackson-Mann building found that many systems had “surpassed their useful life” and that long-term operations were not viable, according to Breadon.

The building has leaky ceilings from inadequate roofing, inoperable front doors, with all programs operating out of the back half of the building, and the center is not open on Saturdays, according to Breadon.

The Jackson-Mann is the neighborhood’s sole cooling and warming center for extreme weather emergencies and may be activated as an emergency shelter.

“I want to continue to call this neighborhood my home, but with the disinvestment of Allston-Brighton from City Hall, it makes me question, is this the place where I can continue to live, where I can continue to raise a son and maybe another child?” said Ricky Mikey, the director of the Rat City Art Festival. “Can they be raised here and receive the same resources that they [would] receive in other neighborhoods?”

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During its peak, the center housed a GED program, citizenship classes, ESL classes, various after school programs, preschool and daycare services, leisurely and recreational activities, and a teen program, according to Breadon.

Located in Allston’s Union Square, the building is accessible by the Green Line, the 57 and 66 bus routes, and the Mass Pike Allston-Brighton exit. A 2023 siting study report recognized the current Jackson-Mann site as the best location for the new building.

Community organizations like the Allston Civic Association, the Allston-Brighton Youth Coalition, the Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative, and the Rat City Arts Festival were present. The Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians bookended the event, singing songs like “Down by the Riverside” and chanting “we want that center!” The crowd was composed of roughly 200 spectators of a variety of ages.

“This building has always seemed sort of sad, and it's at a really central, nice location,” said Allston resident Lauren McGrath. “You can't use the doors, so it's not very welcoming to people, and I think for that reason, they can't run as much programming as they probably would like to.”

According to the City of Boston website, the fourth and latest public meeting about the community center was held in April 2023. The meeting slides outlined a “typical project schedule,” with the study phase expected to last for 8 months before moving onto a 6-12 month budgeting phase.

Some blamed the stalled project progress on inequity for Allston-Brighton residents, viewed as isolated and misunderstood outcasts of the city.

“I think part of it is we're more geographically remote from the rest of the city… and I don't think they appreciate the number of young families we have here,” said Breadon.

Honan said that part of the reason why rebuilding may be stalled is because of other ongoing major projects in Boston, including the rehabilitation of White Stadium in Mattapan and the redesigning of the city’s sole vocational high school, Madison Park, in Roxbury.

In April and May, the Boston City Council will hear budget review hearings, with an official vote on the entire Capital Plan slated for June 3. Breadon asked residents to apply pressure on the Wu Administration for reallocation of funds towards the project. Breadon said that the support of the city is crucial before turning to other forms of potential funding.

“We need the mayor's administration to commit to moving past all the studies – we've been studied to death at this point,” said Breadon. “It is time to stop that and make a commitment to put real money down and move the project forward.”