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Council hears timelines for schools, libraries and pool repairs; Draper pool set to reopen
Summary
City and Boston Public Schools officials gave timelines for several school and library projects, outlined a strategy to shift pool maintenance to operating contracts, and said the Draper pool is reopening after repairs.
City and Boston Public Schools officials updated the Committee on Ways and Means on April 17 about a string of school, library and pool projects, offering construction and completion windows for several items and describing changes to how pools will be maintained.
School and library timelines: Boston Public Schools and the Public Facilities Department said the Sarah Roberts School project is slated to finish “before this fall, late this summer” so it can be ready for the coming school year. The Chinatown branch library’s developer-led construction is expected to begin in summer 2025 with anticipated completion in June 2027, Carlton Jones said. The South End branch is in design with construction due to start in winter 2026, city staff told the committee.
MSBA and to-be-scheduled projects: Officials explained the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) process for school projects, noting that MSBA funding allocations and project funding agreements occur well into the design process and must be reflected in the capital plan while projects proceed through MSBA steps. Officials said some projects are represented in the plan as “to be scheduled” and will move as funding and approvals align.
Pools and maintenance approach: Boston Public Schools’ chief operating officer Brian Ford described how pool maintenance has shifted from ad-hoc capital fixes to operating maintenance contracts and district-level work. That shift was necessary after several pools experienced mechanical failures; Ford said an air-handler for the Mildred Avenue Community Center is already under order and expected to be installed before summer. Trisha (Deputy Chief Trish Kafrty) — the city lead coordinating pool work across agencies — told council members that the Draper pool is in the permitting stage, the filter is running, chemical balances are being calibrated and the pool is “reopening in April.”
Why this matters: School openings, library replacements and pool availability affect students, seniors, people with disabilities and neighborhood residents. Councilors pressed for clearer phasing and neighborhood-level lists for which BHA, BPS or library facilities will receive funds and when construction or repairs will start.
