Framingham plans recreation complex for old Marian High. What they plan to build

FRAMINGHAM — The city has purchased the former Marian High School property for $3.35 million, paving the way to redevelop it into a new community center.

Led by Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, the city has been in pursuit of a community center to provide recreation space, particularly a gym and indoor swimming pool. Over the summer, the city issued a request for information for interested land owners in Framingham who would be interested in selling a 3- to 7-acre piece of property that could be made into a new community center.

Only one interested party came forward, Invictus Forever Inc. The Weston-based educational nonprofit had purchased the former high school on Union Avenue for $2.6 million in January 2021.

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"We are very proud to announce that last week, the city took ownership of the former Marian High School property," Sisitsky said Tuesday during a City Council meeting. "The plan is to convert the former high school into a community center, with a gym and a 750-seat auditorium. We are exploring the feasibility of adding a pool on the property."

Creating additional community space has been a goal of the Sisitsky administration since the mayor took office at the start of last year. During a public hearing on Aug. 22, the plan to purchase the Union Avenue property and convert it into a community center received a ringing endorsement from elected officials and community members.

“I’m raising a teenage boy, and he loves basketball, and there are not a lot of places for him to go," said Damon Araujo, a local basketball coach, during the public hearing. "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."

Demand for a pool has increased since one at Keefe Regional Technical School closed due to excessive costs required to repair it.

ARPA funds used to purchase the property

The money used to purchase the former Marian High School property comes from ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act funding the city received during the pandemic. Framingham has about $15 million in ARPA money remaining, which can be used on a variety of projects. Communities have until the end of 2024 to commit the money and until the end of 2026 to fully spend it.

One requirement for spending ARPA funds is that some of it must be used to improve so-called "social justice neighborhoods" — the former Marian High School property qualifies, as it is near downtown Framingham. The property is also near many disadvantaged families, who would be best served by a community center.

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Framingham received $26.827 million in ARPA funding in 2021. The city used a large chunk of it to balance an outstanding sewer budget deficit. Sisitsky said on Aug. 22 that he was interested in using the remaining funding on the community center, saying it could leave a long-term impact on the city.

"We believe the ARPA 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 at the time. “I feel that this ARPA money should be used for some kind of program that has a long-lasting impact on this city.”

What happened to Invictus?

Marian, a Catholic co-educational high school, closed in the spring of 2018. When Invictus purchased the property less than three years later, it had ambitious plans. It hoped to turn the building into a hybrid space for adults with special needs, featuring housing, retail and education space.

But its plans became too costly, according to City Councilor Adam Steiner.

"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."

Despite those challenges, the city anticipates that certain aspects of the facility will be useable for the community in the near future. The gym and auditorium are in decent condition, and will be able to open as soon as HVAC issues are resolved.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham buys former high school for new community center