The East River Neighborhood Association (ERNA) in Hyde Park met virtually last week and discussed the ongoing issues of rowdiness, public intoxication, public urination, blocked driveways and an overall decline in quality of life at Ross Field during adult baseball games.

For those unaware, Ross Field has been used by a local adult baseball league for the past few years, and it’s been causing problems for the neighbors living around the field.

All those problems listed above have been reported by neighbors at one time or another, and the ERNA has been having trouble getting a straight answer out of the city on how that behavior can be curbed. Representatives from the Parks Department came last fall to the ERNA and while Parks said it would look over the licenses issued to these leagues every year, residents said they’re already seeing the season start up again.

But there is a glimmer of hope, as ERNA member Joy Oliver said she and other ERNA members recently met with the Cummins Highway/Healy Neighborhood Association about similar incidents happening at Healy Field, with a similar response from the city.

“They sent pictures, they did 311, they’ve had meetings with various parks people and they were very frustrated because the same thing happens year after year after year,” she said. “They were wondering if this was happening anywhere else, and they were very happy to hear that they weren’t ‘crazy’ and it wasn’t just them, and perhaps other neighborhood groups having this issue could get together and present a united front to the Parks Department.”

District 5 City Councilor representative Dianna Bronchuk said she’s lived around Healy for some time and has experienced those issues in the past.

“Similar conversations and workings, and the similar multi-factor situation, but we are working towards having community meetings with the leagues and having larger conversations,” she said. “I think it would be great to have East River and Healy meet.”

Office of Neighborhood Services Hyde Park Liaison Zoë Petty said she is trying to have a meeting with the league and the ERNA before the season really starts, to try to hash out these issues. Bronchuk said Pepén had reached out as well and had also not heard back.

ERNA organizer Barbara Hamilton asked that the ERNA be notified of any league gaining a permit every year so that the neighborhood could engage directly with them and try to figure things out. Bronchuk said the permit holders are a matter of public record and can be shared that way.

Oliver said she hopes that there are some consequences for bad behavior on the field. Mark Oliver said he felt it made no sense that Enrique Pepén had seen the issue, as well as Bronchuk in Roslindale, and nothing seemed to be done about it.

“That makes no sense,” he said. “Nothing’s being done about it.”

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“I wouldn’t say nothing is being done about it, it might not be as fast as you would like. There are many factors, a lot to work on, but it’s not going to be decided on tonight. But I’m happy to always continue this conversation.”

In other news, Boston Transportation Department Planner Daniel Milbrandt stopped by to let residents know some updates on the Wood Avenue construction plan – https://gvimes.link/woodave

Milbrandt said there are two upcoming public meetings on the project, one in person on April 30 – https://gvimes.link/woodlive – and one online on April 28 – https://gvimes.link/woodonline

Both meetings will start at 6 p.m. Milbrandt said the project had been delayed due to financial uncertainty last year but is looking to put shovels in the ground at the end of the year.

“Our best case scenario is that we’re going to do some preliminary drainage work along the corridor this upcoming winter before it freezes,” he said. “And then starting construction on the whole project in 2027 in earnest.”

The project itself consists of several daylighting improvements – reducing parking at intersections and crosswalks to help keep pedestrians visible – as well as traffic calming improvements like raised crosswalks and angled intersections.

According to the current plan, there will be raised crosswalks at Wood and Mariposa, Wood and Farrar, Wood and Tacoma, a raised intersection at Wood and Stafford/Parker, Wood and Westminster (with a raised crosswalk on Westminster as well), Wood and Ellard Road, and Wood and Danbury Road.

Milibrandt said they are working with the Department of Public Works to either spot pave or completely repave Wood Avenue after the work is completed.