A City of Boston notice to neighbors that demolition was set to begin Monday at Franklin Park’s White Stadium went over like a lead balloon with residents who oppose the public-private plan to redevelop the facility for a new pro soccer team.

The emailed update from a city-run White Stadium account quickly drew condemnation from one neighborhood leader, who accused the Wu administration of trying to “bully and gouge the public,” by pushing through a pricey project that’s nearly doubled in cost in recent weeks over the objections of the community.

“We are fully aware that your department can bully the process and given the past actions and failures of the city municipal authorities and agencies to do their job, you believe that there can be no consequences,” Louis Elisa, president of the Garrison Trotter Neighborhood Association, wrote in a Friday email obtained by the Herald.

“But please know that your actions and the failure of the appropriate city agencies to adhere to the laws and regulations of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston is actionable, and we will work with every group and organization available to take (whatever) steps necessary to hold you … and your bosses accountable for any and all harm that is created to the public and users of Franklin Park, to the full extent of the law.”

Per the city notice to neighbors, demolition work will begin this upcoming week, “and will continue on site for the next two months.” The work will commence with hazard mitigation, which includes removing caulking, windows and hazardous materials before demolition.

The city’s decision to proceed with demolition comes after last month’s finalization of a lease agreement with the for-profit Boston Unity Soccer Partners, and as a lawsuit, filed by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and 20 neighbors, including Elisa, is pending in court, with a trial date set for March 18.

The lawsuit, which seeks to stop the project, alleges that the city and Boston Unity’s tear-down and redevelopment plans for the century-old stadium would violate the state constitution by transferring public trust land to private use.

Mayor Michelle Wu has denied the privatization claim, saying that the stadium will continue to be used by Boston Public Schools student-athletes. BPS will share use with a new National Women’s Soccer League team owned by Boston Unity, which includes Boston Globe CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry as an investor.

The “reckless rush to tear down the stadium,” as City Councilor Erin Murphy put it in a lengthy statement, prompted the councilor to demand that the city administration “immediately halt” the planned demolition until outstanding community concerns can be aired at a Wednesday Council hearing.

“This project has been riddled with serious issues: ballooning costs now exceeding $200 million, with the city already on the hook for $91 million; plans that prioritize private interests over public access; and the removal of 145 mature trees in Franklin Park,” Murphy said. “How can the city justify moving forward with irreversible demolition before a scheduled City Council hearing — intended to address these very concerns — has ever taken place?”

“White Stadium and Franklin Park deserve a plan that prioritizes Boston Public School student-athletes, environmental preservation, and genuine community engagement,” she added, “not a rushed, ill-conceived project driven by private interests and lacking public accountability.”

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Project opponents issued a report last Wednesday that asserts the City of Boston can renovate White Stadium as a “high-quality, fully public high school” sports venue for about $28.9 million, “a fraction of the cost” of building a professional soccer stadium.

The report was commissioned by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and dismissed as a “work of fiction” by a city spokesperson.

Proponents have touted the city’s public-private plan as essential to restoring a century-old stadium that the mayor says has become “on the verge of being unusable” for Boston Public Schools students.

Councilor Ed Flynn, who has called for the city to cancel its White Stadium plan, bashed the Wu administration’s community engagement process, which he said “did not respect the impacted neighborhoods,” and his colleagues on the Council for “sitting on the sidelines” while it played out.

“As a city councilor, I’m embarrassed most of my colleagues refused to stand up for Boston residents and student-athletes during this controversial privatization of a stadium,” Flynn said in a statement. “Their silence was deafening.”