‘We want to know why’: Hundreds of residents protest Charlestown pool closure at start of summer – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) — Hundreds of Charlestown residents are demanding answers after learning their city’s outdoor pool will not open this summer.

Protesters rallied outside the Clougherty Pool on Bunker Hill Street on Tuesday and signed a petition calling for it to be repaired and reopened. The petition currently has more than 1,000 signatures.

“We found out about five days ago that the pool won’t be open this summer so we all got together because we just need answers,” said resident Mary Gillen.

City officials said the condition of the pool facility, which is operated by the Boston Centers for Youth and Families, raises serious safety concerns but does not address the cause of those conditions. Gillen said no one had told residents what was going on and that the pool’s closure will affect vulnerable populations.

“We have asked our local representatives and our politicians for answers and silence,” said Gillen. “For our elderly, our disabled children… are you telling them to just get out of town? And that’s why they’re angry. That’s pretty much why we’re here, we want to know why.”

(Copyright (c) 2022 Sunbeam Television. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed.)