Braintree Accepting New Construction Proposals For Peterson Pool

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree town officials are once again accepting proposals from construction firms to build the Peterson Pool and Skating Rink Complex.

The search for a construction firm was started over after Mayor Charles Kokoros in June terminated the agreement with Paul Cokinos and E Street LLC, after the company failed to make enough progress towards completing the project, according to the mayor. Kokoros said the developer failed to provide the town with proof of financing and construction for the project, as well as required permits.

The new request for proposal for the complex was posted Wednesday. It requires all proposals include at least one skating rink with an ice surface 200 feet long and 85 feet wide and a Junior Olympic size (75 feet long by 70 feet wide) swimming pool with a one-meter diving board, diving area with 12-foot depth, a 20-foot head clearance and a walk-in area. Proposals are by noon, Sept. 8.

The Peterson Pool project has been 58 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. That $65,000 grew over the years into a fund of more than $2 million for a complex with an Olympic-size swimming pool and two ice rinks.

The project was supposed to be started in Fall 2018 after a groundbreaking ceremony was held, but little work was actually completed. The original developer, BSC Partners, failed to secure financing for the $20 million complex, town officials said. There was also a disagreement between town officials and the former developer over construction, which eventually ground construction to a halt.