Braintree Gets Bid For Peterson Pool, Ice Rink Project

BRAINTREE, MA — Braintree received a bid from a design and construction form to build the Peterson Pool and Rink Complex.

After having to start the project over twice because of issues with past firms, Edge Sports Group could take over the project if town officials approve, Mayor Charles Kokoros said Friday.

Edge Sports Group, a Wellesley-based company, has been involved in several sport complex projects throughout the state. Its projects include the Thayer Sports Center, the Boston Sports Institute and the Worcester Ice Center.

Kokoros said he established a Recreation Facility Contractor Evaluation Committee who will meet next week to analyze the bid. The committee members are:

• Jennifer Keane, Braintree High School Varsity Swim/Dive Coach
• David Fasano, Braintree High School Varsity Boys Hockey Coach
• Tom Devin, Braintree School Committee Chair
• Larry Mackin, District 6 Town Councilor
• Nicole Taub, Chief of Staff and Director of Operations

"I want to thank the committee members for taking on this very important task," Kokoros said in a statement. "I have great confidence in their ability to completely and thoroughly review the bid documents. I look forward to their recommendation on the bid proposal."

The search for a construction firm was started over after Mayor Charles Kokoros in June terminated the agreement with Paul Cokinos and E Street LLC, after the company failed to make enough progress towards completing the project, according to the mayor. Kokoros said the developer failed to provide the town with proof of financing and construction for the project, as well as required permits.

During the new bidding process, which ended Sept. 8, Kokoros required all proposals to include at least one skating rink with an ice surface 200 feet long and 85 feet wide and a Junior Olympic size (75 feet long by 70 feet wide) swimming pool with a one-meter diving board, diving area with 12-foot depth, a 20-foot head clearance and a walk-in area.

The Peterson Pool project has been 58 years in the making. Upon his death in 1963, tugboat Captain August Julius Petersen left Braintree $65,000 for a community pool at Watson Park. That $65,000 grew over the years into a fund of more than $2 million for a complex with an Olympic-size swimming pool and two ice rinks.

The project was supposed to be started in Fall 2018 after a groundbreaking ceremony was held, but little work was actually completed. The original developer, BSC Partners, failed to secure financing for the $20 million complex, town officials said. There was also a disagreement between town officials and the former developer over construction, which eventually ground construction to a halt.