Heat Emergency declared in Boston, cooling centers and splash pads open across state
BOSTON -- Cooling centers and splash pads will open in Boston as the city anticipates record-breaking temperatures. Mayor Michelle Wu declared a heat emergency for Saturday and Sunday.
Fifteen cooling centers will be open. A full list of locations can be found here. Masks are strongly encouraged due to the rising COVID numbers.
Fifty splash pads will open early across the city as well. A full list of locations can be found here.
Boston is aiming to open all splash pads by Memorial Day.
Wu said neighborhoods will be given "pop-up kits" to install sprinklers and other water features to help people stay cool.
Fifteen spray decks run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation will open across the state on Saturday and Sunday as well.
"With high temperatures expected this upcoming weekend, it is important that everybody has safe environments available to them to escape the heat," said Governor Charlie Baker. "Our Administration is pleased to open spray decks early throughout the state parks system enabling children and their families a cool break from this weekend's increased temperatures."
The following locations will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with the exception of the Freetown State Forest Spray Deck, which is open until 6 p.m.:
- Alfond Memorial Spray Deck, 280 Charles Street, Boston
- Artesani Playground Spray Deck, 1255 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton
- Beaver Brook Spray Deck, 621 Trapelo Road, Belmont
- Freetown State Forest Spray Deck, 105 Slab Bridge Road, Freetown
- Holyoke Heritage State Park Spray Deck, 221 Appleton Street, Holyoke
- Magazine Beach Spray Deck, 719 Memorial Drive, Cambridge
- Francis J. McCrehan Spray Deck, 359 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge
- Melnea A. Cass Memorial Spray Deck, 120 Martin Luther King Blvd., Roxbury
- John T. Moynihan Spray Deck, 920 Truman Parkway, Hyde Park
- Neponset Landing II Spray Deck, 72 Hill Top Street, Dorchester
- North Point Spray Deck, 6 Museum Way, Cambridge
- Olsen Spray Deck, 95 Turtle Pond Parkway, Hyde Park
- South West Corridor Spray Decks, located at Mission Hill (One Schroder Plaza, Mission Hill), Johnson (Lamartine and Green Street, Jamaica Plain), and Stony Brook (Lamartine St & Boylston St), Jamaica Plain.