BOSTON (WHDH) - A topping-off ceremony was held in Dorchester Monday for the building that is set to become a new athletic and recreational complex for the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester.
The Martin Richard Foundation, named for the 8-year-old boy from Dorchester killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, is a key partner in the project, which is called Fieldhouse Plus. Martin’s parents Bill and Denise Richard, and their two surviving children, Jane, who lost a leg in the explosion, and Henry, were in attendance Monday.
The Boys and Girls Club of Boston aims to create opportunities for youth, families, and community members across Boston and Chelsea to achieve greatness and elevate the city. The $82 million, four-story building will house basketball courts, a fitness center, a theater, and other recreational spaces for kids in Boston.
“This will truly be an amazing legacy for Martin and for the family,” said Bob Scannell, President and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester.
“Martin had a gift for bringing people together and dreaming big,” said Bill Richard, Martin’s father. “He always has been, and he remains, the inspiration and the motivation for the work that we do.”
The project is being funded by state and federal grants, as well as private donations. The city of Boston donated the land.
“They turned a very painful moment of their lives into this,” said Massachusetts Representative Steven Linch. “They turned that pain and loss and suffering into something that would bless others.”
The new facility is scheduled to open in about a year.
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