Peterson Pool Construction Set To Begin In Braintree

BRAINTREE, MA — The long-awaited construction of the Peterson Pool and ice rink complex is set to begin next week, Mayor Joseph Sullivan told the Patriot Ledger. E Street LLC, the new developer for the project, will start construction at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Braintree High School near the intersection of Granite and Town streets. The complex will include the pool and two ice rinks — one will be full-sized and the other half-sized.

The project was supposed to be started a year ago this month 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 grinded construction to a halt.

There's more optimism from Sullivan that the project will be completed because the Dedham-based E Street also developed that town's ice rink.

"There have been some disappointments and some difficult delays, but we never gave up and our persistence will bring a great reward for Braintree," Sullivan told the Patriot Ledger.

Petersen Pool has been 56 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. While the pool at Watson Park never happened, the Captain Petersen Splash Pad at Watson Park opened in 2013 and Sullivan revealed plans for the Petersen Pool and hockey rinks in 2015.