Boston City Councilor Miniard Culpepper, who represents District 9, has filed two measures calling for greater transparency and faster action on the reopening of the South End Branch of the Boston Public Library, which has been closed since April 2021 due to repeated flooding. A full reopening is not currently expected until at least 2027.

One filing orders a City Council hearing to review the status and timeline of the project, including the use of $32 million allocated in the FY2026 capital budget, and to assess the availability of temporary library services during the prolonged closure. The filing notes that nearly 50,000 South End residents have been without a neighborhood library for more than four years.

The second filing is a resolution urging the City and the Boston Public Library to expedite the reopening and immediately expand temporary library services. It highlights the disproportionate impact of the closure on children, families, seniors, immigrants, and low-income residents, and calls for consistent, multi-day weekly library services until the branch fully reopens.

Both measures were filed on February 11, 2026.