The ‘jewel in the crown’ of town buildings set to open in March
It’s just an empty building under construction for now, with dirt piles where there will soon be a parking lot, but Wayland’s new Community Center is scheduled to open before the snows completely melt this winter.
The new facility, at the southwest corner of Wayland Town Center and across Boston Post Road (Route 20) from Russell’s Garden Center, will soon be the newest addition to the town’s small constellation of public buildings. And, according to Select Board member Tom Fay, the new Community Center will be the “jewel in the crown,” a much-needed new home for Wayland’s Council on Aging and several other programs.
“This will be more than a huge increase in the space available for programs and activities for the town’s senior citizens,” Fay said of the 13,000 sq. ft. facility. “It will greatly impact not only the amount of space, but really give the Council on Aging the room they need to improve the quality of their programs.”
In addition to the Council on Aging, which will relocate its offices and program spaces from the nearby Town Building to the new facility when it opens in March, the Community Center will give the town much more space for board and committee meetings. The new building will even be made available to outside, nonprofit community groups for their events and meetings.
With rooms that often seem too small and more like large hallways than meeting spaces, many residents and officials believe that the existing Town Building is too crowded and not well-suited to multiple, simultaneous public meetings, let alone large gatherings.
“This will be a major transformation in the town’s ability to have suitable meeting spaces,” said Select Board member Doug Levine
In 2022, Town Meeting authorized spending up to $11 million on the Community Center project, which includes the use of an existing building on the lot. Since that time, the price tag has grown to $12.5 million.
Using the footprint and shell of an abandoned building on the site, the construction is part of the town’s overall effort to make the facility environmentally friendly with a “net-zero” impact.
“Energy efficiency and reducing the negative environmental impact is a major aspect of this project.” said Town Manager Michael McCall.
In addition to the new facility using more sustainable building technologies compared to older, more traditional construction projects, the 104-space parking lot will include two solar canopies to provide green energy to the new building. A small, “formal” town green with new plantings will be situated between the parking lot and Lillian Way.
“I think it’s going to be the most popular public building in town,” Fay confidently asserted.
Fay pointed out that the facility will be much more than office space and meeting rooms.
“It will be a facility that we hope serves as a true multi-generational center for the entire town.”
Levine echoed these thoughts, pointing out that the new Community Center will provide Wayland with what sociologists call a “third space,” giving residents a community building that extends civic life from home and workplaces.
“It will be an important place for people to gather as a community, from children to seniors,” Levine said.
Julie Secord, director of the Council on Aging., said she anticipates that in addition to office spaces, the COA will use the facility for programs and events on weekday mornings and afternoons, as well as occasional evenings.
“This is going to be great for us.,” Secord said. “It’s a highly anticipated change.”
The Community Center will also provide much-needed indoor activity space for the Recreation Department, which will also use many of the meeting and programming spaces on weekday afternoons and on weekends.
In addition to the COA programming, Secord said the council’s 4.1 full-time equivalent employees will use the new space for offices.
Although no precise new plans have yet been made, Secord does anticipate the COA expanding the breadth of its offerings, including adding new fitness programs for seniors.
“This will transform the programs and activities we can make available through the Council on Aging,” Secord said.
