Cleveland Center will move to new quarters by May 1

The Cleveland Community Center in Fields Corner will relocate to a Boston Public School building on Westville Street by May 1, city officials said Tuesday night. At a meeting so sparsely attended that organizers plan to reschedule it, school and Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) officials offered a brief update on plans for the relocation from 11 Charles St. and the future of the space.

The move is actually a return of sorts to 35 Westville St., said Michael Sulprizio, deputy director of administration and finance with BCYF. They used to have a presence at the site, which is now part of the UP Academy Dorchester campus, though BCYF moved out in about 2012. The new center will be called re the BCYF Marshall Community Center.

Boston Public Schools approached BCYF with the option to relocate to allow for the Boston Arts Academy, which is now based in the Fenway, to relocate to Dorchester for three years while a new building is constructed for its new home across from Fenway Park.

“It started as an option from BPS, and BCYF really realized it was going to be of mutual benefit to everybody and we also hope to be a benefit to the community at large, too,” Sulprizio said.

Moving to the Marshall offers additional space and activities that are a boon to the program, Sulprizio said. They hope to work with UP Academy to develop an after school program next year, as well as a possible summer camp for next summer.

Integral to the move, Sulprizio said, is in re-opening the pool at the Marshall center year-round. BCYF operated he pool for two or three summers even after they left the Marshall initially, to keep the pool access during the summer. Though the locker rooms got a recent update and are in good shape, mechanical systems with the pool will need an upgrade. The Marshall pool might be 12 months away from usability, but BCYF plans to partner with either UP Academy Holland or Perkins Elementary to ensure the kids still have access to a pool.

Mela Bush-Miles, chair of the Fairmount Indigo Transit Coalition and lead community organizer for the Greater Four Corners Action Coalition attended the meeting and noted the value of having a pool available in communities of color.

The computer lab will also be relocated to the new site, as will a computer instructor.

They will provide transportation for students who want to travel to the new locations, Sulprizio said, and will consult with youths who use the center on the best pickup times.


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