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State plans upgrades for Roxbury recreation center, after using it as temporary shelter
The Roxbury recreation center closed by the state for use as a temporary shelter is in store for some major upgrades. The changes to the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex include a new arena floor, renovated bathrooms and a solar panel array, in a project officials are calling “Cass 3.0.”
The state announced in January it would close the center to help house an influx of immigrant families through the end of May, with capacity for up to 400 people. Some protesters in Roxbury lambasted the move, saying migrants were getting resources at the expense of Roxbury residents. Even Mayor Michelle Wu was unhappy.
On Monday night, 70 people attended a Zoom session for public comment on the renovations. Among them was former state Sen. Diane Wilkerson, who chairs the advocacy group Friends of the Cass.
"It’s taken a lot for us to get here,” she said at the meeting. “I do think that it's sad, but appropriate that we celebrate the situation where government is doing what they say they're going to do.”
The center is scheduled to reopen in June as planned, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which runs the facility and hosted the community meeting. Officials there outlined the upgrades they plan to roll out in three phases, to be completed by end of summer:
- Phase 1 would include improvements to pool bathrooms and showers; new tree plantings; and expansion of the center's WiFi network, to include the nearby outdoor area.
- Phase 2 would include a new arena floor, as well as a new sound system and protective padding for interior walls. There will be new nets, goals, benches and other athletic equipment. The proposal also includes new signage, flooring and information monitors.
- Phase 3 would bring roof repairs and solar panels, spray deck upgrades and a new garage door.
The Cass pool is slated to open June 22, as usual, the same date as the other pools run by DCR. Officials said the arena floor replacement should be completed by September.
Residents have two weeks to submit comments on the future of the Cass center.
The plan to invest in the Cass center has been in the works for more than a year. The fact that it's happening now is perceived as damage control by some. Mela Bush, a local homeowner and longtime activist in Roxbury, told WBUR many in the neighborhood were divided about the closure of a valued community asset in order to house migrants.
“I felt, first of all, put upon, not considered,” Bush said. “But then I also thought, there but for the grace of God go any of us.”
Now, Bush said, she welcomes the effort to leave the Cass center better than before it was closed.
DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said plans to improve the center were on the department’s radar since early 2023.
“We really appreciate the fact that the community was willing to share this valued facility with families that have been in need for the last several months,” Arrigo said in an interview.
He wouldn’t estimate the cost of the improvements. He said the final scope of the project will depend on community input.
The upgrades come as the state plans to use a National Guard armory in Lexington as an emergency shelter for up to 55 families, as first reported by the Boston Herald. The Lexington site will be used in part to house families leaving the Cass center, officials told WBUR.
As of this week, the state said 281 people — or 84 families — are staying at the Cass. If families in shelter there are not rehoused or transitioned to emergency assistance shelter before early June, they will be moved to other sites, including places in Lexington and Chelsea.
