Petersen Pool Gets Planning Board Approval

BRAINTREE, MA — Tugboat Captain August Julius Petersen’s dream of a pool for the residents of Braintree will become a reality next year.

With the concerns around drainage and traffic resolved, the planning board finished their months-long public hearing for Petersen Pool Thursday night, granting the complex's developers the special permit they requested. Mayor Joseph Sullivan said he expects work to start this summer and for construction to be complete in time for the 2019-20 school year. The vote brought applause from the roughly 75 people in attendance.

Projected to cost $19 million and feature an indoor swimming pool and two hockey rinks, the ambitious public-private partnership will be located at Braintree High School, next to the track and field and parking lot. Over 200 parking spots will be added and additional turn lanes on Pond Street are planned, along with an additional gated access point to Town Street that can be opened up by police if traffic is slow to get out of the area, according to a presentation from Joseph Reynolds, Sullivan’s chief of staff.

The building will share parking with Braintree High School and under an agreement, the school gets 12 days a year such as graduation or a major event where they can request full use of the lots and no events at the pool and rinks. In addition to the Braintree High School swim and hockey teams getting a new home venue, residents will get priority when it comes to skate and swim session.

Hockey tournaments are also planned for the arena.

The vote came about two and a half years after Sullivan first revealed plans for the project. The planning board denied that the lengthy vetting process was due to stalling.

“The public's desire to have a pool does not negate our responsibility as a board. As I look around I see people getting agitated. Most people don’t know the hundreds of hours we’ve put into this. This isn’t a shed, this is a building that’s going to last long after we’re gone,” planning board Chairman Robert Harnais said. “You’re going to enjoy it and if it fails, it’s going to come down on us and you’re going to come in here and blame us.”

Sullivan praised the planning board for what he called a “thoughtful process.”

“I agree with (Harnais) that some folks didn’t quite appreciate the complex nature of this proposal. What we’re attempting to do is build a facility privately owned on public land and we need to understand all the issues around that. I am appreciative of the work that you’ve done,” Sullivan said.

Petersen Pool has been 54 years in the making. Upon his death in 1963, Petersen left Braintree $65,000 for a community pool at Watson Park. While the pool at Watson Park never happened for multiple reasons, the Captain Petersen Splash Pad at Watson Park opened in 2013 and Sullivan revealed plans for the new Petersen Pool location in 2015.

Petersen's original donation grew to over $2 million. Part of those funds went towards the splash pad and the rest will be used for the pool.

Photos taken by Dan Libon