Councilors and residents press city for independent engineering study and timetable to reopen Blackstone pool

Chair Aaron Murphy convened the Boston City Council Committee on Human Services on June 29 for a hearing focused on the city’s public pool network, but much of the committee’s attention turned to the long-shuttered Blackstone School pool and its effect on nearby public housing residents.

Councilor Flynn told the committee that the Blackstone pool has been closed “indefinitely” and urged the administration to order an independent engineering study. “I’m calling for an independent engineering study at the swimming pool at the Blackstone,” she said, adding that families in Villa Victoria and Ruth Barkley public housing have relied on the pool historically.

The administration described the Blackstone situation as technically complex. Sam Levinson of the Property Management Department and other staff said some closures are driven by major structural problems — including shell deterioration and groundwater — that require excavation and substantial capital work and that such repairs take much longer than routine maintenance. Levinson said the city has been prioritizing capital investments and putting maintenance contracts in place to reduce smaller unplanned closures, but added that “large problems tend to take a much longer time to fix.”

Council members pressed officials for specifics and a timetable. They noted the city’s recent investments in other pools and asked why the Blackstone has not received the same level of progress. Councilor Flynn and others pushed for transparency and a concrete next step: an engineering assessment that lays out costs, required work and a realistic schedule for reopening.

Administration officials agreed to pursue onsite visits and further engineering evaluation. Brian Ford of Boston Public Schools and Eddie McGuire of Boston Centers for Youth and Families said they would coordinate visits and follow up with the committee; Levinson said there is $500,000 in the current capital budget earmarked toward a potential Blackstone project but that it would not cover a full rebuild.

The hearing produced no binding vote or immediate commitment to a construction schedule. Instead, councilors left the record demanding clearer accounting — an engineering assessment, an itemized cost estimate and a timeline — and vowed to reconvene with administration staff until Blackstone’s status is resolved.

Next steps: council members requested an onsite visit with relevant staff and a formal engineering assessment to be presented to the committee before further capital decisions.