Braintree Selects Bid For Peterson Pool, Ice Rink Project

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree town officials recommended a bid for a contractor to design and build the Peterson Pool and Rink Complex.

After having to start the project over twice because of issues with past firms, Edge Sports Group will take over the project, Mayor Charles Kokoros said Tuesday.

The recommendation for EDGE Sports Group to complete the project came from the Braintree Recreation Facility Contractor Evaluation Committee.

The evaluation committee that completed the review included: Braintree High School Swimming Coach Jennifer Keane, Boys Hockey Coach David Fasano, School committee member Tom Devin, District 6 Town Councilor Larry Mackin and Chief of Staff Nicole Taub.

"I wish to thank the Recreation Facility Contractor Evaluation Committee for their efforts in completing an in-depth review of the bid proposal," Kokoros said. "I look forward to working with Edge Sports Group to continue to move this project forward in a positive direction."

Now that the bid was awarded, Kokoros said town officials and EDGE Sports Group began negotiating the terms of the ground lease. This includes creating a swim and skate schedule for residents, the public, Braintree High School's swim and hockey teams and Braintree Youth Hockey.

"My office has been in communication with representatives from these organizations and the Town Council to ensure that everyone has access to the facility and can enjoy the pool and ice rinks once the sports complex opens," Kokoros said. "The lease will detail preferred use time for the High School and Youth Hockey programs, as well as public swim and skate times."

EDGE Sports Group, a Wellesley-based company, has been involved in several sport complex projects throughout the state. Its projects include the Thayer Sports Center, the Boston Sports Institute and the Worcester Ice Center.

"EDGE Sports Group is thrilled to have been selected to enter this next stage of discussions with the Town of Braintree, and we thank Mayor Kokoros and the Committee for the opportunity,"said Brian DeVellis, the president of EDGE Sports Group said in a statement. "We look forward to building on our strong relationship with the community that began four years ago with the Thayer Sports Center. We have learned quickly that Braintree is a passionate community who loves their sports; and we all hope to enhance their experience."

A long time coming for the Peterson project

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.

During the new bidding process, which ended Sept. 8, Kokoros required all proposals to 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. It ended with the recommendation that Edge Sports Group gets the bid.

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.