Peters Park Lights to Remain On Overnight

Beginning this month, the basketball courts at will remain illuminated overnight as part of ongoing efforts to deter crime in the area.

Liz Cahill, who leads the Safety and Security Committee for the Old Dover Neighborhood Association, announced last week that Parks Commissioner Toni Pollak has agreed to leave the overhead lights on throughout the night. Currently, the lights are shut off at 10 p.m.

“Hopefully the community will embrace this as a small inconvenience that will serve a larger purpose,” Cahill wrote in an email.

The Old Dover group is working with the Boston Police Department and to reduce drug dealing and prostitution in the neighborhood. After a meeting last month, the group detailing strategies moving forward. As part of its efforts, a 24-hour tower-mounted security camera was installed near the corner of East Berkeley and Washington Streets by the MBTA.

In , Old Dover residents and police have expressed concern about the spread of illicit activity from beneath the interstate into the surrounding neighborhood. Last week, 33-year-old Raymond Lemar was around the corner from Peters Park, another victim of gun violence. Police are actively investigating the incident.

The Peters Park lighting change will take effect on Wednesday August 17 and continue for an indefinite period of time, Cahill said. The city will cover the costs associated with the extra lighting.