Petersen Pool Groundbreaking Set For August

BRAINTREE, MA — The town will break ground on the swimming pool decades in the making next month.

Mayor Joseph Sullivan wrote in the July edition of the Braintree Blue newsletter that a groundbreaking ceremony for the Braintree Athletic Complex and Petersen Pool is being planned for sometime in August. The celebration comes following months of presentations in front of the planning board, which resulted in the project's approval.

The $19 million project to be located on the Braintree High School campus includes an indoor swimming pool and two hockey rinks. Over 200 parking spots will be added and additional turn lanes on Pond Street are planned, along with an additional gated access point to Town Street that can be opened up by police if traffic is slow to get out of the area, according to a past presentation from Joseph Reynolds, Sullivan's chief of staff.

The building will share parking with Braintree High School and under an agreement, the school gets 12 days a year such as graduation or a major event where they can request full use of the lots and no events at the pool and rinks. In addition to the Braintree High School swimming and hockey teams getting a new home venue, residents will get priority when it comes to skate and swim sessions.

Petersen Pool has been 54 years in the making. Upon his death in 1963, Tugboat Captain August Julius Petersen left Braintree $65,000 for a community pool at Watson Park. While the pool at Watson Park never happened for multiple reasons, the Captain Petersen Splash Pad at Watson Park opened in 2013 and Sullivan revealed plans for the Petersen Pool and hockey rinks in 2015.

The rinks and pool are expected to open in the fall 2019.

Image: File Photo