By Adam Swift
Plans to build a new community center in Chelsea are moving forward, but not fast enough for one city councilor who has been a major proponent of the plan for 14 years.
At Monday night’s council meeting, City Manager Fidel Maltez shared an update on an initiative for what he referred to as the “Chelsea Intergenerational Recreation Community Center.”
“The dream is to create a center where all of our residents, regardless of their age, can enjoy recreational and supportive activities,” stated Maltez. “Thanks to the hard work of our State Senator (Sal DiDomenico) and State Representative (Judith Garcia), we received an earmark for a feasibility study for this center.”
The earmark was matched with local funding that was previously appropriated by the city council. The work is being led by Charlie Giuffrida, the city’s athletics and sports tourism director, and Ben Cares, the housing and community development director, and is being performed by BH+A Architects.
“A survey was produced which resulted in over 200 responses to questions around the usability of the space, the preference of location, and the beginning steps in brainstorming the layout and amenities of the building,” Maltez stated.
Maltez said the city leaders have brainstormed four potential locations for the community center, but said none of the properties are owned by the city, and they are not sure if the property owners are willing to work with the city to house a community center. However, Maltez said other options might be identified in the future.
The options that were initially identified included the St. Rose Elementary School on Broadway and Chestnut, 38 Marginal St., the Boston Hides Block on Marginal and Suffolk, and 265 Central Ave.
“A full report on the initial feasibility analysis, including site rankings, conceptual options, and operational considerations, is being finalized and will be shared with the Council shortly,” said Maltez. “This report will cover some of the preliminary logistics around the construction timeline and the funding level that the City may need to anticipate for such a center.”
The goal over the next two years, Maltez said, is to establish a location, conduct site assessments, environmental assessments, and cost estimates for construction, while exploring possible partnerships and programming.
District 6 Councilor Giovanni Recupero, who has been a vocal advocate for a community center, said he would like to see a shorter timeline for the project.
“This is good news, but it is not exactly what we were expecting,” said Recupero. “It’s been going on now for 14 years, and it’s still saying it’s going to be a couple of years.”
Recupero said he would like to see the location selected for the center done by next year with the construction beginning the year after.