Boston Opens 15 of 21 Pools This Summer Despite Four Facility Closures

BOSTON — February 29, 2024 — Boston's City Council committee pushes administration on summer pool closures and swim safety for low-income neighborhoods. At the second hearing on Docket 0267, Chief of Human Services Jose Masso told councilors the city will open 15 of 21 city-owned pools this summer, up from nine last summer, including all seven BCYF pools and eight of 13 BPS pools. Four facilities — the Murphy School, Condon, Quincy School, and Orenberger Community Center — will close for construction, displacing Camp Joy students, senior programs, and summer camp participants to alternative sites. Lifeguard starting wages are now $22 per hour and a residency waiver opens recruitment statewide. Councilor Edward M. Flynn pressed officials on access for South End children, noting the Blackstone pool requires major capital investment with no set timeline, leaving residents near Villa Victoria and Cathedral housing without a neighborhood pool for the foreseeable future. The city released a new round of swim-safe grant funding the day of the hearing, having already enrolled more than 1,000 youth in free swim lessons this fiscal year.