WESTBOROUGH – The next phase of discussions about the Westborough Community Center project has begun.
In October, Town Meeting approved a transfer request of $1.1 million to further develop the designs for the Community Center. Specifically, the funds will be used to further design and prepare bid documents for Phase 1 of the project, which is the building of a Senior Center on the first floor; and further develop designs for Phase 2 for Recreation Department and a possible temporary space for the Westborough Public Library and possible future phases.
Staff from Bargmann, Hendrie + Archetype Inc. (BH+A) presented updates on the first phase of the proposed project in two sessions on Monday, Nov. 4.
The first session, at the senior center, drew about 40 residents as well as several town officials. The second session was held at Memorial Hall and drew another 20 residents.
Joel Bargmann, principal with BH+A, said there will be consultants to help with details of the first phase, which will focus on the construction of a senior center.
These consultants will help with kitchen design; acoustics; audio/visual; and structural (in particular, the proposed second elevator).
He also announced there will be several meetings over the next few months, with the goal of presenting final plans —including the costs — at Annual Town Meeting in March.
“It’s a tight schedule,” said Bargmann. “There will be meetings every other week.”
After the Nov. 4 sessions, future outreach meetings will take place on Friday, Nov. 15, at 10 a.m. via Zoom (interior design concepts); Friday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m., in person (interior design, finishes); Friday, Dec. 6, 10 a.m. via Zoom (interior design, final finishes, furniture and AV program, future space design); Thursday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m., in person (furniture and fixture concepts — initial selections and feedback, coordination with outlets and switches); and Friday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m. via Zoom (budget presentation).
As for the center itself, BH+A staff showed some of the results from residents’ input from the charrettes held in September.
There were several questions about the multipurpose room. In the proposed senior center, the room would be about 2,800 square feet, which is slightly smaller than the 3,350 square feet within the current center. However, the current center’s space is divided into three areas, whereas the proposed multipurpose space would be within one room, with a divider.
“The multipurpose room can be subdivided, and groups could meet as late as they want,” said Bargmann.
There were questions about the size of the multipurpose room, the aisle width and the type of materials that could be used in the design.
On the subject of what could be moved from the old senior center, one resident asked about the center’s current speaker system while another asked about the disco ball.
BH+A is working to reduce the total cost of the first phase, which currently stands at $12.5 million (before possible rebates).
“It’s a real ongoing effort to reduce costs,” said Bargmann.
Task force
During the Select Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22, Town Manager Kristi Williams said she wanted to form a task force to help the design team refine details for the first phase.
She added the task force would offer input “from both sides.”
There would also be discussions with the Westborough Public Library about using the center as a temporary space during its repair project.
During the Nov. 4 session, Williams said the task force is still in the early stages.
For updates on the Community Center project, go to https://ma-westborough.civicplus.com/917/Westborough-Community-Center
