Officials Hold Ribbon-Cutting for Bathhouse and Maintenance Facility

It’s a very long walk from one bathhouse on Revere Beach to the next, but the Department of Recreation and Conservation has broken ground on a new bathroom facility and maintenance garage at the halfway-mark next to the State Police barracks on Revere Beach, replacing a former bathhouse that was located on Ocean Avenue.

Tuesday morning state and local officials broke ground on the facility with eyes toward having it completed in a year.

The project came about as a partnership between DCR and the city of Revere.

DCR Commissioner Leo Roy announced that the facility will be named for and dedicated to former MDC Police Capt. Arthur (Icy) Reinstein, who was also a former resident of Beachmont.

Roy added that this project is more than 40 years in the making. In 1975 and 2011, legislation was passed (Chapter 841 of the Acts of 1975 and Chapter 183 of the Acts of 2011) authorizing the transfer of state land to the City of Revere for economic development purposes in exchange for the funding and construction of a new Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) maintenance facility and the conveying of 89.21 acres of Rumney Marsh land for conservation purposes to benefit the public and ensure habitat for wildlife and plant species.

Roy said the partnership between the city and the DCR is critical.

“We are so grateful for our partnership with Mayor (Brian) Arrigo, with the city councillors, with your economic development department,” Roy said, adding acknowledgement for the support of the Revere Beach Partnership and the historic significance Revere Beach holds as America’s first public beach.

“Revere Beach is one of the commonwealth’s best natural resources,“DeLeo said. “Today we celebrate a maintenance facility. I know that might not be as flashy as I guess, going into the World Series or something like that. This facility and others like it keep our parks and public spaces up and running.”
A public meeting regarding the maintenance facility and adjoining comfort station was held in the Fall of 2016 in the City of Revere. Furthermore, the project is fully permitted.

“This investment is just a piece of long history of investments that we’ve made with the help of Speaker DeLeo, State Rep. Roselee Vincent, and of course Representative Kathy Reinstein. We see the great economic development going on along Revere Beach,” said State Sen. Joe Boncore. “Revere Beach is a crown jewel in the city of Revere.”

“Regularly maintaining our beaches is not an easy job and I want to commend the men and women of the DCR,” Vincent said.

Arrigo encouraged everyone to notice what is happening on Ocean Avenue as an addition is made to the Waterfront Square area. He shared that two hotels will soon come to the beach and a third is slated to be added. He noted that the new Beach House has become one of the most desired addresses in the Boston region.

“The renaissance of the beach, so many years in the making, is here,” he said. “This is the ultimate example of partnership between Revere and DCR. This has been the heart of Revere Beach’s revival.”