Boston officials and the Friends of the Public Garden have come to an agreement that will enhance the care of the garden, Boston Common, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Friday.
According to Walsh’s office, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and the advocacy group came to an agreement that strengthens the “the 50-year partnership between the Parks Department and the Friends at the strategic and operational level, committing to a shared objective of preserving, restoring and caring for these historic parks in the heart of downtown.”
The memorandum of agreement was signed Friday and will allow for “more efficient and effective stewardship,” and will “improve the quality of life for downtown residents while increasing the resilience of these parks,” city authorities said. The three public spaces are heavily used with more than 7 million people visiting them each year, and, according to Walsh’s office, they are the sites of Boston’s largest collection of public art.
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“Since 1970, their restoration has been made possible through the public-private partnership of the City of Boston and the Friends of the Public Garden,” said the mayor’s office in a statement.
Walsh, in a statement, lauded the importance of the city’s parks and gardens, saying “they hold our history, they bring people together, and they bring the beauty of nature into our City.”
“The Friends of the Public Garden put their heart and soul into these community spaces, and has been a partner to the City for a long time," he said. "I want to congratulate them on their 50 year anniversary, and am proud that today, we made our partnership official.”
Danny McDonald can be reached at daniel.mcdonald@globe.com. Follow him @Danny__McDonald.