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Fountain Park added to site list for new senior center

Date: 3/26/2015

WILBRAHAM – The Senior Center Feasibility Subcommittee is investigating a potential site location at Fountain Park, which could end up costing the town $1 per year for a long-term lease.

Paula Dubord, director of Elder Affairs, told Reminder Publications the subcommittee at its March 9 meeting spoke with Jules Gaudreau, who is on the board of directors of the Wilbraham Nature & Cultural Committee.

“He stated that he is speaking for the board [and] that the group is interested in having a senior center built on their property at Fountain Park,” she added.  

Dubord said the committee would tour the property on April 1 with architect John Catlin of Catlin & Petrovick Architects.

“The overall feeling from the committee is that it’s a very interesting proposition,” she added. “It has a lot of positives to it. We wouldn’t have to buy any property. It would save a lot of money.”

The subcommittee considers this site to be “definitely on the list now” of site locations, Dubord said.

However, the site does have its challenges, she noted.

“When the park was purchased, it was purchased by an individual [who gave it] to the town,” Dubord said. “The town turned it over to the Nature and Cultural Committee to maintain and oversee the property, but in the deed on that it said, ‘No new building can be constructed on the property.’ It’s for recreational purposes.”

There would need to be a legislative change in order to build on the property, she explained.

In 2011, the Nature and Cultural Committee and the Council on Aging contacted state Rep. Angelo Puppolo Jr. and former state Sen. Gale Candaras, who said they would support the legislative change, Dubord said.

“It’s basically just a change in the deed, so something could happen on the property,” she added. “There would be no money involved, so it wouldn’t be a high priority [in] Boston. So, who knows how long that would take? It’s not a pressing matter for people, just for us in Wilbraham.”

During that time, the Nature and Cultural Committee initially came before the Council on Aging with the site proposal, she noted. However, “there was communication failure somewhere along the line.”

Gaudreau indicated that the change would most likely have to be approved at Town Meeting, Dubord said. After that time, the deed change would go to Beacon Hill.

“We have not [spoken with state Sen. Eric Lesser],” she added. “We want the architect to tour it first. He may say, ‘This is a great spot,’ or he may say, ‘This is a terrible spot.’ Pursuing it, we’re going to take his lead.”

The next step would be finalize designs, but the subcommittee “has to nail down property first,” Dubord said.

Two other potential sites for the senior center include an approximately 3.5 acre area at the Mile Tree Elementary School baseball field and 7.26 wooded acreage behind Christ the King Lutheran Church at 758 Main St.

“This offer popped again and now we have to stop where we were and have [Catlin] come back and tour the site to see if we [could] add this property to our list of potential sites,” she added.

The subcommittee decided at its Feb. 12 meeting to not pursue an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant.

“We don’t want to compete with other projects; the police station mainly,” she added. “Frankly, we’re just not ready because these different options keep popping up like this and we want to take our time and do it right. We’re not in a rush to do it. We want to see it done in a timely manner, but we know we only have one chance with it.”

Dubord said the subcommittee could pursue an article for future Town Meetings such as the 2016 Annual Town Meeting.