Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I am excited to announce that on Wednesday, October 10 at 3:00 pm we will break ground on the Petersen Pool and Rink complex at Braintree High School.
The story of the Petersen Pool proposal is more than five decades old when a Braintree Fore River tugboat captain named August Petersen bequeathed $65,000 to the Town for the placement of a community pool at Watson Park in East Braintree. For the next fifty years, residents debated and discussed the appropriate use of the Captain’s gift. Proposals for the Watson Park site were often met with neighborhood concerns as well as logistical challenges. While all this was going on, the original $65,000 gift grew over time through interest, and we invested a portion of the money in the placement of the Petersen Splash Pad at Watson Park in 2013.
Working with our State legislative delegation, we were able to secure Special Legislation to enter into a public-private partnership to construct a Pool and Ice Rink complex on the campus of Braintree High School. We then worked to find a developer that could build this recreational facility for our Town, High School teams, youth organizations, and other private uses. No public monies will be spent in this endeavor. Petersen funds of $1.5 million and the developers private funding will be the underpinnings of the financial plan. The completion date of the project is planned for Fall 2019.
Braintree residents will be able to take full advantage of the facility with public skate and swim times, and as a community, we are planning special annual events throughout the year. Please join us on this historic day October 10, 3:00 PM at Braintree High School, as we will thank Captain Petersen for his generosity and celebrate this milestone event for Braintree.
-Joe
Mayor Joseph C. Sullivan
Town of Braintree
781-794-8100