Following Public Survey, Work on Framingham’s New Community Center Continues

FRAMINGHAM - Results from a public survey regarding the future community center within Framingham are now in, as renovation work at the site along Union Avenue continues.

The city initially acquired the property—which was the home of the former Marian High School—for $3.35 million in September 2023 in order to develop a new community center.

City officials reported on October 20 that close to 900 responses were submitted between April 1 and September 1. The aim is to have these responses help the Mayoral Community Center Advisory Committee, the 25-member group formed two years ago to advise the planning for the site, shape programming and amenities at the center.

“Candidly, we didn’t totally know what people wanted from a community center…But, it was nice to see that come out of the community and see a strong signal about what matters to them,” youth sports representative on the committee Larry Simmons said in an interview with The Frame.

Just over 98% of the respondents to the community center survey reside in Framingham, while about 44%of those who filled out the questionnaire said they’ve lived in the city for over 20 years. Close to 80% of the responses came from people who were at least 36 years old—44% were aged 36 to 54, while approximately 35% were senior citizens. Another 44% of the replies came from families with children.

Cultural programs—such as theater, the arts, and gardening—were identified by around 65% of respondents as a top interest that they’d like to see featured within the future community center. Fitness resources followed with just over 61% of the responses showing interest, while 58.5% of those who answered pointed to community-oriented events as an essential feature.

About 60% of the people who completed the survey requested space for fitness and dance studios, while over half of them requested space for arts and crafts as well as basketball or pickleball courts. A kitchen (45.8%), a performance center (40.9%), and a community garden (38.2%) were additional amenities that received considerable support from survey respondents, according to city officials.

Simmons said the community center can give the city an opportunity to “shape space” for youth sports. He explained that while there are plenty of outdoor spaces for youth athletics when the weather permits, Framingham could stand to add indoor facilities—especially basketball courts, which he added are in high demand for local groups during the colder months.

Roughly 28% of the people who responded to the survey said that they’d use the community center on a weekly basis. Overall availability, both through personal schedules and programming within the  center, along with parking and affordability concerns were listed as the biggest potential barriers for respondents to utilizing the center’s offerings.

While conceding that not everyone’s desires will make it into the final plan, Simmons invited residents to reach out to him or other members of the Advisory Committee with additional feedback as they look into how the community center will be designed.

“The door is open,” Simmons continued.

“The one thing that everybody in that committee is passionate about, regardless of role, is that we hear from people and can reasonably fold that into our plans.”

Framingham’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Tusino told The Frame that the inclusion of a pool, which was initially proposed to be a part of the potential plans for the community center, is off the table. He explained that there is not enough space at the former Marian site, which spans 100,000 square feet, though he added that Mayor Charlie Sisitsky’s administration is looking into other possible locations for a new community pool.

As the survey responses begin to be analyzed, renovation work at the community center property continues. Tusino said that interior demolition and cleanup work has been completed, while the building’s roof has been renovated and windows are on the way to Framingham. The COO, who is also the chair of the Advisory Committee for the center, said the site will be “completely weather-tight.” Simmons told The Frame that he and his colleagues are working on a plan for a building with “great bones.”

Tusino said that the city is unsure of what the final cost of the new community center will be at this time; he explained that he and other local officials are seeking cost estimates from Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype, Inc., the architectural firm associated with the project.

“I had a discussion with the architect, and he thinks if we were to do the whole building and we put it out to bid, it’s probably about 12 to 14 months—which, in my mind, is not that bad,” Tusino explained.

The project ran into an obstacle after roughly $5 million in federal dollars initially earmarked for the center were excluded from a government funding budget by Congress back in March. Tusino told The Frame that the city is on hold for that federal money after reapplying for the grants, adding that the work thus far has been done entirely through money provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.