Framingham officials has a spot for a new community center. Where do they want to build?

FRAMINGHAM — A month after putting out a request for information aimed at developing a list of potential locations for a new community center, city officials may have their answer: the former Marian High School property on Union Avenue.

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky first mentioned the idea of the community center in his State of the City address in January. More recently, he discussed it during an Aug. 22 meeting of the Framingham City Council's Finance Subcommittee.

“We believe that the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds should be used for some particular use that is really going to serve the community, and not just for a one-time expense like the way the previous money was used to offset the deficit in the water and sewer department,” the mayor said. “I feel that this ARPA money should be used for some kind of program that has a long-lasting impact on this city.”

Last month, Framingham officials put out a request for information for parties that would be interested in selling a 3- to 7-acre property to the city for the purpose of a community center. When the deadline for the request arrived on Aug. 23, the city had just one interested party: the new owners of the Marian High School site at 273 Union Ave.

Sisitsky said the Marian High site would be “ideal,” adding that ARPA money needs to be spent in so-called "social justice neighborhoods," and that the building already contains some elements of a community center. The city hopes the new center includes a full-sized aquatics center, courts for basketball and other indoor sports, and additional recreational space.

“The property has a lot of potential — it already has a gym in it and a 750-seat auditorium, and preliminary looks that we have taken show us that building a pool as an addition to the building is very feasible,” the mayor said. “If we can reach an agreement to purchase the property with ARPA money, we think the remainder of the ARPA money could be used to upgrade the building.”

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The city has approximately $15 million in ARPA money remaining, which can be used on a variety of projects. Cities have until the end of 2024 to commit the money and until the end of 2026 to fully spend it.

Marian High building would be sold to the city

Marian High School was closed in 2018 after 62 years. The building was sold in 2021 to Invictus Forever, a Weston nonprofit that aimed to turn the building into a multi-purpose area for adults with special needs, including housing, education spaces and retail. However, City Councilor Adam Steiner said that following the $2.6 million sale, it became apparent the project would be extremely costly.

"Marian, for all of its strengths, does need a lot of work," said Steiner, a Finance Subcommittee member. "It needs to have its HVAC system overhauled, it needs to be ADA compliant, which it is not. It became obvious that it would be very expensive to turn the building into what it had been envisioned to be. Without the additional funding necessary to fix those issues, the building does not have a lot of uses."

Steiner said that while the building would need some upgrades, both the auditorium and gymnasium are in good condition and could be ready to host activities as soon as HVAC issues are addressed.

"I think the community center would be the perfect use for the remaining ARPA funds," the city councilor said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a generational improvement in the city. The city is in a stable place financially where we now have the chance to spend the remaining ARPA funds on something like this."

Proposal sees wide support from elected officials, public

State Rep. Priscila Sousa, D-Framingham, who earlier this year helped secure state funding for a study regarding a potential community center, said a center in the city's south side would be a tremendous benefit to vulnerable populations.

“We don’t know what the center is going to look like, but the funds will help us understand, with the most important stakeholders at the table, why this is so important,” Sousa said during the Aug. 22 Finance Subcommittee meeting. “According to the MetroWest Health Foundation study, our children on the south side are suffering tremendous health disadvantages that can be prevented through recreational activities. Talent is scattered across my district and futures are being lost.”

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Clayton Howard, a local basketball coach, said he notices a major need in the community to provide space for young players to work and train.

“I noticed we needed a better place for us all to learn and grow,” Howard said. “I had a gym that I recently closed, but I know a lot of the players that I train and teach don’t have a place to go anymore. I want to thank you guys for allowing us to revisit that opportunity.”

Damon Araujo, who coaches basketball with I Believe Academy, said getting court time for residents is difficult.

“I’m raising a teenage boy, and he loves basketball, and there are not a lot of places for him to go," Araujo said. "There is a huge need for this facility. Where we go now, Suburban Athletic (on Roxanna Street in Framingham), for workouts and pick-up games, it is hard to get there. I'm transporting about 10 kids a night, and to have a place that would be much more accessible to us would be awesome."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: New Framingham community center could be built at old Marian High