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Councilors press for Blackstone pool repairs as BCYF closures limit swim lessons
Summary
Councilor Flynn and several colleagues urged action after city BCYF pool closures reduced access to swim lessons; Flynn called for an independent engineering study and noted the city's capital budget includes $500,000 for a Blackstone school study.
Councilor Flynn urged prompt action to reopen the Blackstone Pool and highlighted broader access gaps after recent BCYF pool closures. "This pool closure continues to worsen disparities and exposure to hotter summers and denies enrichment opportunities for communities of color," Flynn said, and asked for "an independent engineering study on how to fix the pool."
Flynn noted the city's FY '27–'31 capital budget includes $500,000 for a Blackstone school study to determine the scope of major renovations, but he warned that a complete renovation "will take years." Councilors Fitzgerald and Culpepper both associated themselves with Flynn's remarks, with Fitzgerald saying constituents in the South End rely on the pool and Culpepper stressing the importance of returning students to swim meets and training.
The council added multiple cosponsors to the resolution and referred the related docket (Docket 1335) to the Committee on Human Services for follow-up. Councilors emphasized equity and neighborhood access as central goals; Flynn said the council needs to learn more about the scope of repairs and the timeline for reopening rather than assume immediate availability.
The item will proceed through committee review and follow-up hearings; the transcript records requests for a full excavation to assess damage and repeated calls for transparency about timelines and funding sources.
