Several city swimming pools closed amid extreme heat

BOSTON — South Boston’s M Street Beach, on a day of oppressive heat like this one, is a real escape.

“It was starting to feel like we were living in London with how gloomy it’s been. So definitely taking advantage of it,” said Shannon Furey.

Bob Ward asked Amy Harrington how long she would stay at M Street Beach.

“I have no plans on leaving. I’ll be here till the sun goes down,” she answered.

So on the shores of Dorchester Bay, while temperatures climb, Bostonians are savoring these fleeting moments of summer.

“Summer in Boston is awesome. You got to enjoy it for the few months that you can before we go back to the cold dark winter,” said Chris Kropas.

Not everyone, even on a hot day, can make it to the beach.

A lot of people depend on city pools.

But right now, too many city pools are closed.

The city pool at the Leahy/Holloran Community Center is shut down for renovations for the entire summer.

Of Boston’s eighteen city swimming pools, ten are closed, and many are undergoing renovations.

City officials are urging residents looking for relief to use one of 64 splash pads located at parks and playgrounds throughout Boston.

But not all of the splash pads are working either.

The splash pad at Dorchester’s Ronan Park has been out of service for a long time.

Community Activist Domingos DaRosa tells Boston 25′s Bob Ward all of the city’s pools in Dorchester and Mattapan closed.

And he’s urging the city to do something.

“There’s no reason why the kids in this neighborhood have no pool or sprinkler system,” DaRosa said. “We got a heat wave that started two days ago. We’re on the last leg of it. And there’s nowhere for them to cool off.”

Mayor Wu’s office says the spray feature at Ronan Park is out of commission due to vandalism causing it to no longer be functional. They assure that the Parks and Recreation Department has been actively working to fix it as soon as possible.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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