Mayor Michelle Wu Celebrates the Reopening of the BCYF Clougherty Pool

Mayor Michelle Wu today joined Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), the Human Services Cabinet, the Public Facilities Department, elected officials, and Charlestown residents to officially reopen the BCYF Clougherty Pool following a two year renovation. The outdoor lap pool and family pool are now open for the summer 2024 season, and the bathhouse and roof terrace will be completed for summer 2025. The Clougherty was originally built in the 1940s, and the new upgrades modernize the facility and make it more accessible. The total project budget is a $35.5 million investment. This is a part of Mayor Wu’s Connect, Learn, & Explore initiative, a commitment to making Boston the best city in the country to raise a family, by ensuring all of Boston’s children learn how to ride a bike, swim, and connect with their communities through sports, gardening, and the arts. 

The Clougherty Pool reopening marks the latest in a number of recent pool renovations and investments by the City, and aligns with Mayor Wu’s commitment to making Boston the best city for families. Because of a collaboration between Boston Public Schools, Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the Public Facilities Department, and the Property Management Department, investments of City funding, and improved facilities assessment, the City has more pools open this year than in previous summers. The City is acting with urgency to renovate several city-owned pools, many of which were built in the 1970s. This fiscal year, Mayor Wu allocated $54.5 million in the FY25-FY29 capital plan for repairing and renovating the city's pools.

“The Clougherty Pool is a treasured community hub that has helped create so many lifetime memories in Charlestown, and we couldn’t be more excited for our residents to be back in the water this summer,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Thank you to BCYF, the Public Facilities Department, and everyone who has dedicated the past two years to revitalizing this beloved community space.”

The renovations at the Clougherty include the reconstruction of two new outdoor pools, pool deck, and filtration room. Highlights include a new six lane lap pool that meets USA Swimming competition certification standards with removable starting blocks and an accessible ramp, a new 2,970 square foot family pool, and spray equipment features. The two new pools both have fully accessible access points, a zero entry feature in the family pool allowing swimmers to enter from the deck right into the pool without steps, as well as an accessible ramp in the lap pool. The concrete bleachers along the east side of the pool deck, which formerly had no accessible entry point, now feature an accessible ramp that leads to a viewing platform built into the existing bleachers. 

The bathhouse, which will be fully renovated for summer 2025, will include new locker rooms and a community room. The City of Boston’s Public Facilities Department managed the construction project working with Fennick McCredie Architecture and J&J Contractors, Inc. general contractors.

“This state-of-the-art pool is a testament to the Mayor’s commitment to making Boston a home for everyone,” said Jose F. Massó, Chief of Human Services. “This will be a gathering place for generations to come and I’m so glad we were able to open it this summer.”

“Once again, Mayor Wu has demonstrated her unprecedented commitment to pool programming across the City,” said Carleton W. Jones, Executive Director of the Public Facilities Department (PFD).  “I am very thankful to her, Chief of Operations Dion Irish and the dedicated PFD staff who, with countless others, worked so very hard on this amazing project.”

“I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to get this pool to the point where we are able to open it this summer and thank you to the Charlestown community for working with us over the past two summers,” said Marta E. Rivera, Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth & Families. “All those community meetings on cold winter evenings led us to this day where we can celebrate this beautiful new pool.”

The pool renovation project included a robust community engagement process that included three public meetings to garner input throughout the design process. Additionally there was a publicly posted online community survey, which displayed different pool design options, bathhouse features, programming questions, and furniture. That survey received 624 responses over the course of one month. There were also engagements with elected officials and the Friends of the Clougherty Pool throughout the project.

“For more than 70 summers, the Clougherty Pool has been a fixture in the Charlestown community and ensuring it would be available for future generations has been our singular focus,” said The Friends of the Clougherty Pool. “Rebuilding the pool required major investment from the City of Boston and a commitment by neighbors, designers, builders, and administrators to come together and see a very ambitious and transformational project through. We are deeply grateful to Mayor Wu and her administration, the City Council, and our state legislators for coming to the table time and time again, and we are so pleased to stand with them to celebrate the reopening of this community treasure.” 

The pool is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pre-registration for recreational swim will be required on Saturdays and Sundays. Lap swim will be available from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays and will require pre-registration. There is currently no charge for membership or programming at BCYF facilities, but visitors need to create a membership at Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration. Registration for swim sessions can be found on the pool’s website at Boston.gov/BCYF-Clougherty.

ABOUT BCYF

Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) is the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency. BCYF operates 35 community centers in Boston that offer a variety of engaging and enriching programs for people of all ages created through community input and need. BCYF also oversees many citywide programs.