For months, planning has been underway on expected renovations to the Roudenbush Community Center. On Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen took the next step on deciding just how much renovation will be done.
Architect Don Mills was on hand to answer questions regarding several sets of renovation plans addressing various parts of the building.
Initially, the Selectmen considered one of the less costly options and deferring additional work to a later date, but Mills warned that going with Options B and C could cause later complications associated with to proposed elevators. Option A’s approach of only addressing fire escapes was also a non-starter, as it deferred nearly all remaining needed renovations, which could be more expensive in the future.
Ultimately, the decision came down to choosing one of the more comprehensive plans: Option D or Option E.
Town Meeting voters got a glimpse at Option E during Annual Town Meeting when funding for the design studies were approved. That plan, which addresses all life safety, accessibility and building system improvements recommended during Mills’ analysis, is estimated at $7.5 million.
Option D incorporates almost all of Option E, excluding roofing and cupola repairs, third floor renovation, some ventilation and HVAC improvements and an emergency generator. That plan is estimated somewhere between $5.5 and $6 million.
Mills told the board that doing Option D and then addressing anything left over at a later date would likely cost approximately $1.7 million more, excluding possible fluctuation in construction costs.
In the end, the Selectmen unanimously opted for seeking more details on a sixth plan: Option D along with renovations of the roof and cupola. Mills put the roof and cupola repairs on their own at approximately $450,000. However, he noted that the actual cost would likely be far more given possible contingency costs.
More detailed plans based on the Selectmen’s decision is expected sometime in the upcoming weeks, although the door was left open for renovations being part of the Recreation Department’s new home.
John Cunningham asked the board about that possibility given the cost of the renovations and talk of a proposed standalone permanent recreation center also costing millions.
The possibility of using parts of Roudenbush for Recreation Department office space was considered. However, Selectman Kelly Ross was reticent to create a full community center/recreation center hybrid given that Roudenbush Community Center was created as a non-profit entity to save the town money.
It’s also possible that community preservation funding could defray some renovation costs, although funding would likely only be available for renovation focusing on the building’s historical aspects.
Later in the meeting, Strategic Planning Retreat feedback on the Roudenbush renovations was revealed. In survey completed by nearly 50 attendees, more than half indicated that they currently attended Roudenbush activities of some sort and almost all planned to do so in the future.
In the survey, Option E was the most popular answer with 21 votes, followed by six votes for Options C and D.
