波士頓市府斥資3120萬元翻修 Curley社區中心7日啟用頭2個月免費

         (Boston Orange 綜合整理) 波士頓青年及家庭中心 (BCYF)的Curley社區中心經過3120萬元的翻修後，今 (7) 日在政要雲集中剪綵啟用。

              這個中心原本是一個有四分之一英里長的洗澡堂，1931年由時任市長的James Michael Curley作為”健康標誌 (Monument to health)”開張。1989年翻修過一次。

              這次斥資3120萬元翻修，建了貫穿整棟大樓的長廊，有舉重訓練及有氧運動機的健身房，瑜珈/舞蹈是ˊ，兒童空間，婦女及男士蒸氣及桑拿室，耆英和青少年空間，多元空間及辦公室。

              在中心後面有新的甲板區，以及到海灘的坡道，方便輪椅人士出入。

              翻修工程還包括對抗氣候變遷，以及未來”王潮”的諸如容許水及砂流進、流出的開放地下室，室內防水設施，阻擋海畔水流的可移動的鋼板等。

              翻修工程是由波士頓市府的公共設施局管理，designAB建築師樓和波士頓大樓，以及橋樑公司總承包商施工。

              波士頓市府表示，在新樓啟用的頭2個月內，不收會員費，參加活動也不收費，但訪客必須先在Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration登記成為會員，再上網到Boston.gov/BCYF-Curley報名不同班別。

              由於笛鴴鳥 (Piping Plover birds)的築巢會受影響，在野生動物專員決定人們到海灘不會對那些鳥構成威脅時，海灘才會開放。

              在1986年時，麻州只有140對笛鴴鳥，但在仔細的保育努力下，2022年這些鳥的數量已增加的1000對。波士頓青年及家庭中心和波士頓保護局，以及州政府將合作，以期在近期未來，讓人們得以踏上海灘。

MAYOR MICHELLE WU CELEBRATES THE REOPENING OF THE BCYF CURLEY COMMUNITY CENTER

BOSTON - Friday, July 7, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu today joined Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), the Human Services Cabinet, the Public Facilities Department, elected officials, and South Boston residents to officially reopen the BCYF Curley Community Center which underwent a $31.2 million renovation. The newly renovated space includes state of the art fitness and activity spaces for community members of all ages, and was built with climate resiliency features to better protect the beachfront facility from flooding and coastal storms.  

“The renovations to the Curley Community Center transform the space into the family-friendly, accessible facility our residents deserve and have been waiting for,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The design complements the natural beauty of South Boston’s shoreline, while also providing modern indoor spaces to gather for health and community. I’m grateful to our City departments and partners at every level of government for their support in reopening this beloved community amenity.” 

Originally opened in 1931 as a bathhouse and dedicated by Mayor James Michael Curley as a “monument to health,” the building was last renovated in 1989 and is a quarter mile long. Interior features of the renovation include open and accessible hallways throughout the entire building, fitness rooms (including weight training and cardio machines), yoga/dance studio, childrens’ space, womens’ and mens’ steam and sauna, senior space, teen space, multi-purpose spaces, and offices.  

The renovation includes a new deck area behind the center with ramps to the beach for people with mobility needs. The renovations also included a focus on resiliency, including measures to combat the impacts of climate change and future “king tides,'' such as an open basement so water and sand can flow in and out, interior waterproofing, and removable metal plates to help hold back water on the ocean side. The City of Boston’s Public Facilities Department managed the construction project working with designLAB architects and Boston Building and Bridge Corp general contractors. 

“We are thrilled to be able to re-open the Curley Community Center and welcome residents into this beautiful new space,” said Chief of Operations Dion Irish. “We’re very proud to renovate this historical building to meet the needs of our communities today, including innovative flood resilience and accessibility measures to ensure everyone in our community can enjoy the facility.” 

“The newly reopened Curley Community Center sets the bar for what our neighborhood facilities should look like and offer throughout our City,” said Chief of Human Services José Massó. “I’m thrilled to see this space reopen to welcome back familiar faces and support a new generation of our residents.”

“We are so proud to open this center and launch the next chapter of this community asset that has been an important resource to generations of Bostonians,” said Marta E. Rivera, Commissioner of Boston Centers for Youth & Families. “This investment ensures that BCYF Curley will meet the current and future needs of the community.” 

The center is designed to serve all ages, including a large senior population. Beginning this summer, the Ethos Senior Cafe will serve free lunch to seniors daily. Seniors will also be able to participate in morning stretches, community social walks, card and board games, senior fitness, book clubs, and more. The center also has youth-only spaces and will be hosting weekly family friendly activities as well as ReadBoston Storymobile visits. 

For the first two months of operation, there will be no charge for membership or programming but visitors need to create a membership at Boston.gov/BCYF-Registration. Registration for classes and programs can be found on the center’s webpage, Boston.gov/BCYF-Curley. 

Due to nesting of the threatened Piping Plover birds, there will be no beach access from the center until wildlife officials determine that beach access does not pose a risk to the birds. In 1986, there were only 140 breeding pairs of piping plovers in Massachusetts. Through careful conservation efforts, the population has increased to over 1,000 breeding pairs in 2022. BCYF is working with the Boston Conservation Commission and the State to secure beach access for the near future. Members are welcome to use the nearby beaches surrounding the center for this summer.