Summer is here, bringing sunshine and heat back to Boston! As temperatures rise, we’re looking forward to cooling off in several newly-renovated community pools. The City’s pool upgrades are part of Mayor Wu’s Connect, Learn, and Explore initiative aiming to make Boston the most family-friendly city in the country. 

The City budgeted $54.5 million between 2025 and 2029 to improve Boston’s public pools, many of which were built in the 1970s. Boston Centers for Youth & Families and the Public Facilities Department are leading the work to bring this commitment to fruition. These investments also represent the City’s commitment to achieving PLAN: Mattapan’s vision for affordable recreational opportunities for all residents, the urgency PLAN: East Boston places on heat resiliency, and PLAN: Charlestown’s emphasis on enabling active and healthy lifestyles for residents. In fact, you may have read about these public pool renovations in the interactive progress reports for PLAN: Charlestown, PLAN: East Boston, and PLAN: Mattapan. Today, we are excited to dive into a few of the completed pool projects and share some additional tips for keeping cool this summer. 

BCYF Clougherty Pool:

Renovations to the BCYF Clougherty Pool in Charlestown are complete and renovations to the bathhouse will wrap up soon! Since the official reopening in July 2024, residents have been diving into summer fitness in the new competition-certified lap pool.. The Friends of Clougherty Pool, a neighborhood group founded during the renovation to organize support for their “community treasure,” says “the new pool is incredible” and that they are pleased with the “clean design and high quality materials.” Both pools are now ramp-accessible, with the updated bathhouse featuring an elevator and locker rooms to ensure all Bostonians can comfortably relax in the water. With these final touches, Clougherty Pool is once again a vibrant center of community life in Charlestown. 

BCYF Mattahunt Community Center Pool:

Following four years of construction, the BCYF Mattahunt Community Center and Pool in Mattapan reopened in spring 2024. Earl Foulk, a resident of Mattapan for over 60 years, says the renovated community center is “a whole new world,” boasting improvements to the pool and gymnasium, an auditorium for community performances, and a teen room with a music recording studio. Foulk shared stories of himself, his children, and his grandchildren enjoying the new space, saying “you can’t take away [the] history” of neglect, but “the blessing is you’ve lived long enough and seen it through.” He is proud of his community for their persevering advocacy, and grateful that “the children are enjoying it now.” The center’s beautiful indoor pool hosts daily events ranging from youth swim club, to water aerobics, to adaptive swim hours. They also offer lifeguard training for strong swimmers ages 15-24 seeking summer employment. 

BCYF Paris Street Pool: 

Across the harbor in East Boston, the renovation of the BCYF Paris Street Pool was completed in July 2023. “It’s a cool spot,” says Deborah Curela, a mother and community member who lives just a few blocks away from the pool. “As a community, we’re thankful to have it open again. The COVID years without [the pool] were hard, so when it reopened it was a big deal for us… We’re there at least once a week now.” The pool offers upgraded heating, ventilation, and filtration systems to keep residents feeling comfortable as they swim and splash. Like all BCYF  pools, BCYF Paris Street Pool offers free aquatic programs for Boston residents. Adults and teens can join a six-week swim lesson series or enjoy two months of rigorous water fitness guided by skilled aqua aerobics instructors. The pool’s “positive energy” brings together teens from a nearby high school, older adults from the Lyman apartments across the street, and children enjoying the Paris Street Community Center’s summer programs. Curela hopes BCYF Paris Street will join the Mattahunt and other Boston public pools in offering adaptive swim hours for people with disabilities to make the space even more accessible to the community. 

BCYF Clougherty, Mattahunt, and Paris Street are just a few examples of investments in pools and other community infrastructure over the past few years. To discover other investments in your neighborhood, read the Storymaps released for PLAN: Charlestown, PLAN: Mattapan, and PLAN: East Boston! Improving and maintaining our public pools makes it possible for all Bostonians to safely enjoy summertime swimming. 

The Mayor also recently expanded SwimSafe, a program her administration launched in 2023 to provide free swim lessons to Boston youth. Over the last two years, SwimSafe has taught over 8,000 kids how to safely enjoy a summertime splash. 

And finally, here are a few extra tips for beating the heat this summer:

1. Save on your AC electricity bill through the Mass Save Community First Partnership
2. If we face a Heat Emergency, visit any of the BCYF Cooling Centers to relax out of the sun
3. Check out the full guide for Keeping Cool in Boston

Images credit City of Boston