Council committee hears calls to repair and reopen Blackstone pool; administration absent

The Boston City Council Committee on Human Services held a hearing Sept. 24 on Docket 1335 to examine the prolonged closure of the Blackstone Community Center pool and to consider commissioning an independent engineering study to determine repair needs and costs. Chair Erin Murphy and lead sponsor Councilor Ed Flynn opened the session and urged a rapid, transparent process for assessing and funding repairs.

"This is a racial justice issue," Councilor Ed Flynn said, stressing that the pool sits amid low‑income and predominantly Black, Latino and immigrant neighborhoods and that denying access has public‑safety and health consequences for children and seniors. Flynn told the committee the city's FY27 capital plan included $500,000 for a study but that subsequent budget documents did not schedule the Blackstone project for construction funding.

Community leaders pressed the council for more detail about the pool's condition. Jonathan Alves, president of the Washington Harrison Neighborhood Association, said he spoke with dozens of residents and expressed frustration that city representatives were not present: "I AM PRETTY DISAPPOINTED WHEN I LOOK AROUND THE CHAMBER TODAY AND I DON'T SEE ANY CITY REPRESENTATIVES." Alves urged the council to hold an on‑site meeting at Blackstone and to keep the issue in committee until administration officials appear.

The committee committed to reconvening—potentially with a community meeting at Blackstone in the evening—and to invite the Boston Public Schools facilities team and Boston Centers for Youth and Families to present engineering assessments and repair estimates. No formal motions or votes were taken at the hearing.