The tactics varied, but the response from over 150 people was the same: a rejection of the MBTA’s proposed fare increases and service cuts, which were presented at a Feb. 1 meeting at the Hennigan Elementary School on Heath Street.

Crippled by funding problems and debt, and facing a $161 million deficit this year alone, the MBTA is proposing a brutal budget that the agency itself clearly does not like.

“We’re transit people. We don’t like making these recommendations,” said MBTA Acting General Manager Jonathan Davis in a Gazette interview. The bus Davis rides to work is among that that would be cut in the plan.

In Jamaica Plain, the cuts would include killing the Green Line subway/streetcar service on weekends and cutting back the Route 38 “JP Loop” bus that serves many seniors. The Needham Line commuter trains would not run on weekends or late nights, and several other bus routes would be cut back as well.

The fare hikes would be either 35 or 43 percent on standard trips, and up to 500 percent on the RIDE, which serves people with disabilities.

Residents speaking against the plan included commuters who would not be able to get to work and disabled people who might not be able to go anywhere at all.

State legislators are working on a funding fix, but said it is difficult in tight economic times and with little support from suburban and rural colleagues whose constituents may not ride the T. There was much talk of raising the gas tax, but that will be politically difficult and probably would only be a piece of the funding puzzle.

Jay Gonzalez, the chief budget-writer for Gov. Deval Patrick, attended the meeting, though he did not speak.

Residents had many funding ideas of their own, including that the MBTA crack down on rampant fare evaders. But some of the ideas were based on misinformation.

Several speakers claimed that the MBTA’s debt is owed to giant banks that got federal bailout money and should forgive the debt in return. But the debt did not come from bank loans. It is in the form of state bonds that are publicly traded and may be owned by individual people, mutual funds, insurance companies, banks and any other kind of investor.

“In short, there is no large concentration of bonds at one institution,” the MBTA said in a written statement to the Gazette.

Many officials and residents urged the MBTA to drop its proposal and instead join in lobbying the state to fix the budget problems. Officials also urged people to get friends who live in suburban and rural areas to pressure their legislators.

“I don’t think that’s the MBTA’s role,” Davis told the Gazette. But he clearly was eager to hear the various protests and complaints at the meeting, and agreed that a statewide solution is necessary.

“I think everyone in the Commonwealth should be concerned” about the MBTA’s cuts, he said at the meeting in response to one commenter. He noted the cuts would reduce transportation options, create “more congestion on the roads” and have some “detrimental impact on air quality.”

The following are highlights from some officials and activists at the meeting:

• Mayor Thomas Menino believes that “service cuts at this time make no sense,” Boston Transportation Commissioner Thomas Tinlin said on the mayor’s behalf. “Riders should not be forced to shoulder the burden of this debt,” he said. Menino issued a letter on Jan. 27 that rejects the plan as a “one-year Band-Aid” that has unacceptable impacts, and calls for more collaboration on a funding solution.

• State Rep. Russell Holmes said, “We in the legislature are not going to kick the can. We are going to make a decision” on fixing the MBTA budget. But, he cautioned, it won’t be a simple fix. Raising the gas tax is divisive and other options are on the table, such as requiring out-of-state companies to collect Massachusetts sales taxes. The state sales tax includes a portion dedicated to funding the T, but that revenue is sinking in a bad economy and the rise of Internet shopping.

• State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz reviewed the revenue options and acknowledged that the gas tax can have an impact on consumers just like fare increase do. But, she said, “I’d rather see that [gas tax increase] than service cuts and fare increases on the T.” She also cited the Internet sale tax loophole, T fare evasion and, long-term, an income tax increase. She also asked the MBTA to clearly state what funding it needs so legislators can seek it.

• State Rep. Liz Malia said that “no one in my constituency should be asked to cut off their right hand or left hand,” describing the MBTA’s plan, which offers two options that are both severe but vary in how much they increase fares or cut services. But in the House, she said, “It’s a math problem right now. We don’t have the votes [for a budget fix].” She called on the MBTA to partner with officials for a solution.

• State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez said he understands why some parts of the state would oppose a gas tax increase. But, he added, “I’m the state representative for Jamaica Plain. I’m from Mission Hill. I will step up for a gas tax.”

• At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo, a JP resident, said that it doesn’t make sense to say, “Let’s offer a worse product for more money.” He called the fare increases “unacceptable” as “essentially a tax increase on the poor” and said the MBTA needs to be lobbying the state for a solution. “The problem with these listening sessions is, you don’t have to listen” because everyone obviously opposes the plan, he said.

• At-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressely, who does not drive and relies on the T, said she rejects the plan because of its impact on the city’s “ultimate infrastructure”—its people.

• JP City Councilor Matt O’Malley said that by cutting service, and thus ridership, “We seem to be setting ourselves up for failure.” He called for a restructuring of the debt and the gas tax solution.

• Richard Thal, executive director of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC), called the plan “unconscionable” for its impact on people his organization serves. They include seniors who ride the JP Loop and recently immigrated workers who often work night or weekend shifts. JPNDC was circulating a petition against the plan and already had 200 signatures by the next morning, according to organizer Kyle Robidoux.

• Bikes Not Bombs, a JP-based nonprofit, announced a Feb. 21 event where T riders will share stories and then engage in a phone-calling and letter-writing campaign against the plan. Organizer Jeremy Hanson called transportation a “human right.” For more information, see bikesnotbombs.org.

• Betsy Cowan, executive director of Egleston Square Main Street, said that the small businesses in her area rely on customers who use public transit.

The MBTA’s full plan can be viewed at mbta.com. It is accepting comments at fareproposal@mbta.com or Fare Proposal, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910, Boston, MA 02116.

The MBTA’s universally hated plan would kill the 326 express bus from Medford that Davis rides daily, he told the Gazette in a hallway interview at the Hennigan School meeting.

“As a rider, it doesn’t make me feel very good, because I use it to get to work every day,” Davis said of his agency’s own plan to boost fares and cut service.

Davis was quick to add that, unlike many T riders, he has other transportation options. That includes the Orange Line subway and, according to MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo, a car that Davis shares with his wife but typically does not use. Davis responded to many questions at that meeting and another last month in Roxbury, but never mentioned the plan’s impact on himself.

Davis and Pesaturo also traveled to the meeting by public transit–namely, the Green Line E branch streetcar/trolley that the MBTA’s plan would controversially stop running on the weekends.

“It was great,” Davis said of his E Line ride. “I think we run a great service.”

But the MBTA is proposing to slash that service, among many others, in an effort to close a $161 million budget gap this year alone. Low tax revenues, enormous debt and a legal requirement for a balanced budget are forcing the MBTA’s hand.

“We’re transit people. We don’t like making these recommendations,” Davis said.

Over 150 people at the meeting didn’t like hearing the recommendations, either. They roundly protested the plan as unjust and unnecessary. Among the organizations protesting were the Transit Riders Union and Occupy JP.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and state Rep. Liz Malia were among the JP elected officials who said the state legislature is to blame for the debt and funding crisis. They urged people to contact friends outside of Boston to pressure suburban and rural legislators who are not so eager to fund a system their constituents may not use. A common theme from elected officials and residents was that the MBTA should stop proposing severe cuts and instead partner with the community to lobby for a budget fix.

“I don’t think that’s the MBTA’s role,” Davis told the Gazette in response to that idea. Its job is simply to run a transit service and come up with a budget within the given guidelines, he said. But public input will inform that budget, he said, and he clearly was eager to hear the protests.

Asked about the possibility of getting rid of the MBTA’s balanced budget requirement and operating under a deficit, Davis said, “I don’t think I’d be a proponent of that.” Among other things, such a budget move likely would prevent the MBTA from purchasing new equipment and maintaining what it has, he said.

At least 250 people attended the Jan. 19 meeting. A few people were willing to pay higher fares, but no one wanted service cuts. Those include killing the E Line subway/streetcar on the weekends and eliminating most of the JP Loop bus, among other slashings.

Attention quickly focused on the MBTA’s $5.5 billion debt and funding issues as the real problems.

“None of these people in this room had anything to do with these problems and the solution cannot be on their backs,” said Mission Hill resident Rich Giordano, summing up the situation.

Clad in a “Don’t X Out Public Transit” T-shirt, JP resident Ralph Walton said, “Massachusetts is a commonwealth. A commonwealth is an organization that pools its resources to take care of its needs.” He called on the state legislature to fix the MBTA’s flawed funding system.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz and state Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez indicated that some kind of tax increase will be required. Both have proposed gas tax increases before, but legislators from Western Mass. have not approved.

“In the inner city, we should be growing public transit, not contracting it,” said Sánchez, saying the cuts would harm businesses, cultural institutions, low-income residents and public health.

“Why here? Why in this community with this particular line?” he added about the E Line cut—one of only two light rail cuts in the plan, both of which are in low-income neighborhoods.

“The responsibility…lies with the legislature” to fix the T’s funding problems, said Chang-Díaz. She pointed out that a lot of the MBTA’s debt comes from projects required as mitigation for the car-centered Big Dig highway project downtown.

The majority of the debt is in the form of bonds, according to MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo. The bonds were issued to fund projects going as far back as 30 years, or to get an advance on expected tax revenues, Pesaturo said.

Sánchez later told the Gazette that the idea of a gas tax increase as “like a bomb” in the state legislature. He said House leadership has vowed to review the public meetings for input, and meanwhile “they’re going to hold off on anything substantial right now.”

At-large City Councilor Felix Arroyo, a JP resident, told the Gazette that he is especially concerned about how the proposal would impact Boston Public Schools (BPS), which subsidizes T passes for students and is already struggling with budget troubles.

“We can’t make it difficult for students to go to school,” Arroyo said.

“We certainly share the councilor’s concern,” said BPS spokesperson Matt Wilder, adding that BPS is bracing for a $1 million increase in pass expenses.

Service cuts are not abstract issues for Egleston Square area City Councilor Tito Jackson, who does not have a car.

He said that paying more and getting less “doesn’t make sense to me and doesn’t make sense to the people I represent.” He called fare increases “an unfair tax on the poor, essentially,” and later told the Gazette that the cuts would choke the state’s economic development.

City Councilor Mike Ross, who represents part of Hyde Square, called the proposed local cuts “penny wise and, unfortunately, pound foolish.”

“We cannot cut it. That is not the solution,” he said, calling on the state and federal governments to step up.

Joining local residents in opposition were officials from such major institutions as Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Northeastern University and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Other organizations joining the protests included Occupy Boston, the T Riders Union and the Massachusetts Senior Action Council.

Sarah Horsley, a JP resident Fenway Community Development Corporation employee, noted the unity of such a diverse group of people against the plan.

“We’re not always on the same side of an issue, but we’re all here tonight saying this is not acceptable,” she said.

Riding the Orange Line to the meeting, the Gazette saw reminders of some of the MBTA’s challenges. The train ran late because of “switching problems,” a common trouble on the MBTA’s aging lines. In one of the cars was an advertisement offering help to people in financial trouble headline, “Are you staying afloat?”

The MBTA is struggling to close a $161 million budget gap for this year alone and must do so by July 1 under state law. For more about the plan, see mbta.com. Comments are being accepted at fareproposal@mbta.com or Fare Proposal, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910, Boston, MA 02116.

FOREST HILLS—The Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) decision on the future of the Casey Overpass is still delayed, largely due to state Rep. Liz Malia’s pushing for further study of MassDOT’s data. Meanwhile, some Working Advisory Group (WAG) members are starting to worry that continued delays might jeopardize the project.

Malia told the Gazette about her participation in forcing the delay last week.

“It’s not a secret in terms of my concerns,” she said.

Malia has been pushing for delays to provide the community more time to analyze the data provided by MassDOT, especially traffic data first presented to the community in late November, shortly before MassDOT’s decision was originally expected. That decision has now been delayed twice.

Malia commissioned an analysis of the traffic data by an independent traffic engineer. That independent analysis found the greatest problem in MassDOT’s findings to be the national standard used in evaluating the data, not the data itself.

Meanwhile, some WAG members are calling for a quick decision and a conclusion to the process. A letter sent to Patrick and signed by 11 WAG members asks for a swift decision so the process can continue.

“We worry that any further delays in making this decision could jeopardize the thoroughness of the remaining design processes and risk the funding available under the Accelerated Bridge Program,” that letter stated.

“We know…that the majority of the neighbors support the at-grade option,” said Boston Cyclists Union Executive Director and WAG member Pete Stidman. “Instead of having questions about the particulars of the designs, Malia’s motivation seems to be a broad mistrust of MassDOT.”

State Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez has previously called for a swift decision. Sánchez and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz have both stated that most of the input they’ve received from their constituents has been in favor of the at-grade plan.

“If something’s going to happen, let’s not miss the boat. State resources are hard to come by,” he told the Gazette.

Five WAG members, including Bernard Doherty and Jeffrey Ferris, have written a letter to the Gazette in favor of the bridge alternative, calling it a “flawed pre-decision process.”

“We want to make sure we’ve satisfied all the concerns that have come in” before announcing a decision, MassDOT spokesperson Mike Verseckes said.

The future of the Casey Overpass and adjoining Forest Hills area will hinge on whether the soon-to-be retired Casey Overpass will be replaced by a new, smaller bridge, or by surface streets alone.

The decision announcement was originally scheduled for mid-December. It was postponed to mid-January after elected officials, led by Malia, requested a delay in the decision amid community controversy. The decision announcement has not yet been rescheduled.

Malia has pushed for a more thorough process since the project’s beginnings, though she admits MassDOT made a significant effort.

The delivery of traffic information so late in the process was a sticking point for members of the community, Malia said.

“We didn’t have a lot of time or opportunity for discussion,” she said of the Nov. 21 traffic presentation. “We got lots of data but not enough time to process it.”

“My concern is that there [should] be a broad enough study of how traffic really flows and who’s using Forest Hills so that we don’t create more of a problem than what we’ve got today,” Malia said.

Malia comissioned a separate traffic study done by an independent traffic engineer, Stephen Kaiser, and provided those results to the Gazette.

Kaiser’s main criticisms of the MassDOT data are about the nationally-used standard for calculating capacity and quality of service, the Highway Capacity Manual, not about the Casey plan itself.

“My general conclusion is that the defects in the Highway Capacity Manual are more severe than any errors produced by the consultants for the Casey study,” Kaiser said in his report.

He also mentioned a lack of future accident projections and too-low standards of pedestrian and bicycle service as further shortcomings, but noted that these are common nationally.

Kaiser did “detect an agency [MassDOT] preference for one of the alternatives, but the meetings and sharing of information over the past two months was superior to the norm.”

Kaiser listed advantages and disadvantages to both options, which largely echoed WAG discussions last fall.

Malia, along with U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, also called for a thorough examination of environmental data that might affect the asthma rates in the area in a Jan. 6 letter to Gov. Deval Patrick, a copy of which Malia provided to the Gazette.

“It’s a small area and a high concentration of vehicles. It’s a quality of life issue,” Doherty said of a requested—not but required—air quality study. “Before we move forward, we need to have that addressed.”

Environmental studies and other review processes would not be tackled until the 25 percent design stage, after a decision is made, according to Verseckes.

“We won’t know [which studies are needed] until the alternative is selected,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malia and state Rep. Marty Walz are investigating the possibility of extending the 2016 project deadline. Walz represents District 8, an area with multiple Accelerated Bridge Program [APB] projects.

According to Walz, the legislation responsible for the APB mandates that all bonds issued to pay for the program be repaid by 2046. The state has been issuing 30-year bonds, which means the state would have to stop issuing those bonds by 2016 to meet the deadline.

However, “they could do 20-year bonds,” Walz suggested. “It’s MassDOT’s policy that the Accelerated Bridge Program [ABP] end in 2016…There’s good reason behind the policy, but there are good reasons to extend the timetable, too.”

The Casey Overpass is the State Route 203 bridge over Washington Street and Hyde Park Avenue at the Forest Hills T Station. The aging bridge must be demolished in coming years.

The state Casey Overpass project website is at massdot.state.ma.us/caseyoverpass.

(Image Courtesy MAD STU Media) Partners Alexandre Rheaume (left) and Lawrence Johnson in the film “Gen Silent.”

Ethos, the Jamaica Plain-based senior care organization, is launching a groundbreaking fund to assist the neglected population of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elders.

The Ethos Equality Fund will be formally announced at a Feb. 16 event at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, along with the screening of a documentary film that features Ethos’s work.

“We’re way far ahead of everybody else,” said Ethos Executive Director Dale Mitchell, noting that the nonprofit is already known for its spin-off organization the LGBT Aging Project. “We really want to be a change agent here.”

Ethos’s mission is to help frail elders live at home rather than move into nursing homes. It is a mainstream organization, but is increasingly known for LGBT-specific programs that may not be covered by its funding sources, which are largely public. The Equality Fund aims to fund LGBT programs at Ethos and kick-start new ones at other organizations.

Mitchell, who is gay, said that when he arrived at Ethos 15 years ago, he raised the question of LGBT programs. “People kind of looked at me like, ‘What are you talking about?’” he recalled. “I realized that was a sign of a significant problem.”

Many LGBT seniors have lived under “extreme repression” and mistrust institutions that have discriminated against them, Mitchell said. That can lead them to avoid seeking available services, or force them back into the closet if they do sign up.

There are also reports of outright discrimination from some service contractors. Mitchell said that years ago, an Ethos client who was straight but had HIV reportedly had a contracted caregiver “pull out her Bible and ask him to beg for forgiveness.” Despite Ethos dealing with the situation, the client refused to return to the program, Mitchell said.

In response to such impacts on LGBT dignity, Ethos started the LGBT Aging Project in 2001. It advocates for the rights of LGBT elders, as well as offering such programs as “community cafés,” or LGBT elder meal sites, around the city—the “first ever space in the city of Boston where [LGBT elders] could come and be themselves,” Mitchell said.

That work is featured in the recent documentary “Gen Silent,” which is being showed at the Equality Fund kickoff. It follows a gay man who is overwhelmed by caring for his dying partner and finds one of Ethos’s community cafés as a refuge.

The Equality Fund would allow for more of that kind of support, and its goals are modest. “Raising $5,000, we would consider a tremendous success,” Mitchell said.

The fund already has an impressive “host committee” that is lending credibility and, in some cases, donations. Mayor Thomas Menino is on the list, as is state health commissioner John Auerbach, a JP resident. Other local names include Krista Kranyak, the owner of the Ten Tables restaurants; state Rep. Liz Malia; and City Councilor Matt O’Malley.

For more information, see ethocare.org or call 617-522-6700. The Equality Fund kickoff with the film screening, followed by a discussion with the director and people featured in it, is Feb. 16, 5:30 p.m. (film at 7 p.m.) at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square.

Por lo menos 250 personas asistieron a la reunión del 19 de enero. Unas personas aceptaron las subidas, pero ninguna quería ver cortes de servicio. Los cortes incluye la línea E durante los fines de semana y el JP Loop, entre otros.

La multitud se enfocó principalmente en la deuda del MBTA de $5.5 mil millones y en el asunto de falta de fondos como el origen de los problemas.

“Nadie en este salón tuvo que ver con la deuda, y encontrar solución no debe ser tarea suya,” dijo residente de Mission Hill Rich Giordano, discutiendo el tema.

Con una playera con la frase “No Cortes en el Tránsito Público”, residente de JP Ralph Walton dijo, “Massachusetts es un commonwealth. Un commonwealth es una organización que coloca sus recursos para llenar sus necesidades.” Pide que la asamblea legislativa del estado repare el sistema de fondos defectuoso del MBTA.

La senadora del estado Sonia Chang-Díaz y representante Jeffrey Sánchez indicaron que habrá necesidad de subir impuestos. Los dos han propuesto subidas en impuestos del petróleo en el pasado, pero los legisladores de Massachusetts del oeste no estaban de acuerdo.

En las zonas marginales, debemos crecer el tránsito público, no disminuirlo,” dijo Sánchez, añadiendo que los recortes harían daño a las empresas locales, las instituciones culturales, los residentes de bajo ingreso y la salud pública.

“Por qué aquí? Por qué cortar este línea en este barrio en particular?” añadió sobre la línea E—una de dos recortes en el plan, los dos cuales son en la cinturón de pobreza.

“La responsabilidad cae en la asamblea legislativa” para reparar los problemas de fondos del MBTA,” dijo Chang-Díaz. Dijo que mucho de la deuda viene de proyectos de mitigación como resulto del Big Dig en el centro de Boston.

La mayoría de las deudas toman forma de bonos, según portavoz para el MBTA Joe Pesaturo. Los bonos fueron emitidos para financiar proyectos 30 años después, o para obtener un adelanto en ingresos de impuestos, dijo Pesaturo.

Sánchez dijo al Gazette más tarde que la idea de una subida en impuestos de petróleo es “como una bomba” en la asamblea legislativa del estado. Dijo que los lideres han votado para revisar las reuniones públicas para ideas, y mientras tanto “no van a hacer nada sustancial por ahora.”

El concejal plenipotenciario Felix Arroyo, residente de JP, dijo al Gazette que está preocupado sobre el efecto de la propuesta en las escuelas públicas de Boston (BPS), que provee subsidios pases estudiantiles y que ya tiene un presupuesto reducido.

“No podemos hacer más difícil llegar a la escuela,” dijo Arroyo.

“Compartimos las dudas del concejal,” dijo el portavoz de BPS Matt Wilder, añadiendo que BPS está preparándose para un aumento de $1 millón en gastos de pases estudiantiles.

Los recortes de servicio no son solo asuntos abstractos para concejal Tito Jackson de Egleston Square, que no tiene coche.

Dijo que pagar más y recibir menos “no tiene sentido ni a mí ni a mi distrito.” Dijo que las subidas son “un impuesto injusto hacía los pobres” y luego dijo al Gazette que los recortes sofocarían el desarrollo económico del estado.

Concejal Mike Ross, que represente parte de Hyde Square, dijo que los recortes propuestos son insensatos.

“No podemos cortarlos. Esta no es solución,” dijo, apelando a los gobiernos locales y federales a reforzarse.

Asistieron oficiales de Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Northeastern University y Wentworth Institute of Technology. Otras organizaciones en el lado de los residentes incluyeron Occupy Boston, la unión de pasajeros del T (T Riders Union) y el Massachusetts Senior Action Council.

Sarah Horsley, residente de JP y empleada de Fenway Community Development Corporation, comentó en la diversidad entre las personas que estaban en oposición.

“No estamos siempre de acuerdo, pero esta noche estamos unidos, insistiendo que esto no es aceptable,” dijo.

Al llegar a la reunión, el Gazette podía notar los efectos de los desafíos del MBTA. El tren llegó tarde debido a problemas de cambios, común en las líneas viejas. En uno de los vagones había un anuncio para la gente que necesita ayuda monetaria que dijo “Te mantienes a flote?”

El MBTA tiene que justificar una diferencia de $161 millones en su presupuesto antes del 1 de julio, según la ley estatal. Para más información sobre el plan, ver mbta.com. Mandar comentarios en fareproposal@mbta.com o a Fare Proposal, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 3910, Boston, MA 02116.

Boston Residential Group “is planning to develop” the children’s home property at 161 S. Huntington Ave., said spokesperson Janey Bishoff.

Company CEO Curtis Kemeny was not immediately available for comment, and the details of the plan have not been revealed. The company is known for luxury condo projects in the Back Bay and the suburbs. The timeline is also unclear.

The Home is “not at liberty to share any information” under the terms of the purchase and sale agreement, said Home spokesperson Heather MacFarlane.

The Home announced last summer that its Jamaica Plain site, known as the Knight Children’s Center, is relocating to Walpole.

The developers, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) and Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), plan to make the former Barbara McInnis House at 461 Walnut Ave. into a respite care facility with 20 beds on the ground floor and 30 studio apartments for medically frail and elderly homeless people on the upper two floors. Pine Street Inn would manage the studio apartments while BHCHP would manage the respite care facility.

A group of 11 residents filed a lawsuit against the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and the developers in December 2010, hoping to halt the project.

Judge S. Jane Haggerty heard the suit in Superior Court. The plaintiffs alleged that construction of the facility would diminish their property values and increase traffic, demand for on-street parking, artificial light and noise. The judge ruled in favor of the defendants both in standing and merit. Standing refers to the right to sue, not the merits of the arguments.

The ruling handed down Jan. 19 and was announced by JPNDC Jan. 25.

“It’s exceptionally good news,” said Robert Taube, executive director of BHCHP. “We’re delighted to have this behind us.”

“We’re going over our options and [the plaintiffs] haven’t made any decisions as to next steps,” Daniel Wilson, the plaintiff’s attorney, told the Gazette last week.

“Both JPNDC and BHCHP have been involved in the neighborhood for a long time,” said JPNDC Executive Director Richard Thal. “We’re looking forward to working on something that everyone can be proud to be a neighbor of.”

JPNDC and BHCHP will now resubmit funding applications, Thal said, to reconfirm commitments and garner more financial support for the project. Ideally, construction would begin in the fall and the building would open for residents late next year or early 2014. The developers have been working on the redevelopment plan since early 2010.

“Completion can’t happen soon enough. The need for housing and additional medical respite beds has continued and the relief that this will provide can’t happen quickly enough,” Taube said. “We’re very committed to doing this as quickly as we can.”

The lawsuit plaintiffs were Pollard, Kingsford Swan, Jason Heinbeck, Catherine Fitzgibbon Pollard, David Nagle, Siana LaForest, Stephanie Heinbeck, Luis Prado, Alex Rhem, Kirsten Patzer and Judy Sullivan.

The redevelopment of the building, approved by the BRA board in November 2010, has been fraught with controversy, as neighbors have been vocal both in their support of and opposition to the project.

The building has been vacant and falling into a “blighted, decadent or decayed” state, as described in the November 2010 BRA ruling, since BHCHP moved McInnis House to a larger location in the South End in 2008. It was originally built in the 1960s as a nursing home.

No other organization in the state provides respite care for the homeless, so McInnis House, named after a JP nurse, regularly operates at capacity, according to BHCHP materials.

Medical respite care is the term used for short-term medical and recuperative services for homeless people too sick to stay in shelters but not sick enough for a hospital stay.

“He was a great man,” said Larry DiCara, a JP resident who served as a city councilor for 10 years during White’s administration.

White spent part of his childhood in Pondside and attended the former Agassiz Elementary School, according to DiCara.

White served four terms as mayor, from 1968 to 1984. His administration was known for continuing the massive redevelopment of downtown Boston, and for navigating the school desegregation crisis that gripped the city.

But White also supported Boston neighborhoods in ways that continue to impact JP decades later.

White’s “Little City Halls” program put a municipal services office in every neighborhood, including at Curtis Hall on South Street in JP. His successors have continued that tradition of outreach, with former Mayor Raymond Flynn establishing the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, and current Mayor Thomas Menino operating a network of “neighborhood coordinators.”

White became an important opponent of a plan to plow a highway through JP on what is now the Orange Line and Southwest Corridor Park, DiCara said.

“That was politically unpopular” amid heavy lobbying from the road construction industry, DiCara said. “I don’t know what Jamaica Plain would be like today” with a highway, he said.

“He was the first mayor of Boston to acknowledge the Hispanic community,” DiCara added. “He understood that the business district of [JP’s] Hyde Square was different from the business districts elsewhere.”

Like virtually every modern elected official, White spent time at Doyle’s Café, the politically wired pub on Washington Street, and is commemorated in memorabilia there.

BPL Chief Financial Officer Sean Nelson explained during a meeting discussing the BPL’s financial status at the JP library that the library’s capital budget is set and dispensed by the city, not the BPL board of directors, and that the city’s funding is very limited.

“The city has to do its share,” JP resident Sam Sherwood said at the meeting. “We need you folks [BPL officials] to advocate for this branch.”

“It’s not just about this branch. It’s about our entire system that’s falling apart,” Nelson said.

“This branch does more with less,” Sherwood said, referring to the branch’s high usage despite limited resources. “This branch deserves better than it gets.”

BPL officials present at the meeting, including Nelson, asked those in attendance to contact their city councilor and the Mayor’s Office and ask for increases in the capital budget.

BPL’s capital budget covers major construction projects while its operating budget covers expenditures related to actually running BPL, like payroll and material acquisition. BPL capital budget funds are submitted by the mayor and approved by the city council.

About 20 BPL capital projects have been approved by the library and are waiting sufficient funds to break ground. The JP Branch renovation is one of these projects.

The Friends of the JP Branch Library, located at 12 Sedgwick St., have been pushing to renovate the 100-year-old building for years, partly to make the branch ADA compliant. A nearly complete renovation plan has been shelved by BPL since 2006.

The meeting also covered in-depth explanations of the library’s current operating budget, including sources of income.

The presentation showed how BPL’s operating budget has yo-yoed due to the economy and state and city budgets in the last 10 years.

“We’re stable. We’re on the road to recovery, provided the bottom doesn’t fall out,” Nelson said.

As part of the new Compass strategic plan, BPL is hosting roundtable discussions on its recently-adopted guiding principles.

Transparency and engagement with BPL’s stakeholders are key parts of one of these principles.

These meetings will continue all over the system, covering a different guiding principle each month. The meeting schedule is available at bpl.org/compass. BPL budgets are available for online viewing at bpl.org/budgets.