Braintree mayor wants progress on Petersen Pool/Rink by end of month
BRAINTREE – Mayor Charles Kokoros is giving the developer of the Petersen Pool/Rink complex until the end of the month to take definite steps to resume construction of the sports complex before he starts looking for someone else to do the job.
"I'm not going to sit here for months and be delayed," Kokoros told the town council during a meeting Tuesday night. "There are no more excuses not to get this done. Either get this done, or someone else will get this done."
Among the items developer E Street LLC must complete by April 30 is filing for a foundation permit, developing renderings of the exterior and interior of the complex, a construction schedule and submitting a letter showing financing is in place for the construction. Kokoros said the developer has agreed to the conditions and will meet weekly with town officials.
"I am committed to getting the pool and rink built, but this is something that has to be done on our terms. There is no room for any further delays," the mayor said.
Along with the pool, plans for the complex include two ice rinks and an indoor synthetic turf field. Kokoros said the pool will be junior Olympic size and include an area for diving, as called for by supporters of the high school's swimming and diving teams. That will allow the pool to be used for meets.
Work on the complex, which would be at the Town and Granite streets corner of the Braintree High School campus, began in January 2020. The coronavirus pandemic started two months later, halting work. Drainage problems were then found on the site, which required the design and permitting of a new system.
The pool has been talked about in town for more than 57 years, ever since tugboat Capt. August Petersen left the town money to build the pool in his East Braintree neighborhood. His bequest of $65,000 grew over the years to more than $2 million.
The town paid the former developer, BSC Partners, $1 million for plans and permitting for the project, and some of money was used to build the Petersen Splash Pad in Watson Park.
BSC dropped the project when it could not obtain financing, turning it over to E Street.
District 6 Town Councilor Lawrence Mackin asked Kokoros if he was planning to go after BSC Partners to get some of the $1 million back.
The mayor replied he is focused on getting the complex built. He also said there is no need for the creation of an oversight committee for the project, as has been proposed by Mackin.
The councilor said he will not drop the proposal.
"The reason why we are here is the lack of oversight," Mackin said.
In response to a question from District 1 Town Councilor Julia Flaherty, Kokoros said he is open to having a meeting to brief the community on the project.
The complex is being built under a state law establishing a public-private partnership.
"The funding for the project is not coming from the town. The person building the pool is paying for building the pool," Kokoros said.
Town Council President Shannon Hume said of the complex, "Everyone is anxious to get this moving forward."