Community advocates urged Boston officials to move forward with long-planned funding for a new South End branch of the Boston Public Library during a recent City Council budget hearing.

During a March 24 hearing of the Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee, supporters testified that the project to replace the closed South End library branch is ready to move forward but still requires the city to release capital funds.

In written testimony submitted to the committee, Yvette Jarreau, president of the Friends of the South End Library, said the project has been included in the city's capital plan for $32.5 million, with a proposal before the council to increase that allocation to $35 million. Jarreau urged the city's Office of Budget Management to release the funds so the project can move into the construction bidding phase, according to testimony published by the Friends of the South End Library.

The neighborhood branch has been closed for several years after severe flooding damaged the building shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jarreau said in her testimony. The closure has left the South End without a local library while the city plans a replacement facility.

Architectural plans for the new branch, designed by the Boston firm Utile, have recently been updated to address concerns from nearby residents about alley access for vehicles, Jarreau said.

Supporters told councilors the project is ready to proceed once the city authorizes the funding.

Sources: Friends of the South End Library testimony to the Boston City Council Ways and Means Committee.