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Construction of the Fairbank Community Center is in the final stages, with the exception of an upcoming renovation of the Atkinson Pool. But residents have been eager to start utilizing the new community center since its “soft opening” earlier this year. Some residents have voiced a desire to rent a room, and others wanted the ability to drop in and utilize the gym instead of signing up for a scheduled program, for example.
During the September 17 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission, Town Manger Andy Sheehan provided more details on the planning process for the use of the new center. He noted that he will be meeting with the primary users of the community center (Park and Rec, Senior Center and Sudbury Public Schools) and the combined facilities director. Together they will develop a plan for shared space utilization, scheduling systems and logistics, and ways to “make the space available for outside groups,” which could include various community groups, Town committees, and so forth.
Sheehan indicated they would be starting on that work in the next month, and he hopes to have everything ironed out by the end of the calendar year. (1:39:38)
Commissioners emphasized that they are receiving a lot of feedback from residents about their desire to utilize the new facility. Sheehan reminded them that construction is not yet 100 percent complete, but also made it clear that this was a priority in the coming months.
Expect to hear more about those decisions in the Park and Recreation Commission meetings in the coming months, as they are evaluating their long-term plans after learning that their department’s funding model is likely to undergo fundamental changes in the years ahead.