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Politics & Government

Council Considers Replacing Roxbury Community Center with New Building

Members discuss options on how to proceed with plans to upgrade park facilities and replace the Roxbury Park Community Center.

Following the , the City Council on Tuesday directed staff to study options for building a new facility to replace the existing Roxbury Park Community Center and make other park improvements.

The existing community center building was constructed in the 1960s and could cost the city more to maintain in the long-run than a brand new structure. Many elements of the facility don't meet current building-code standards and are in need of repair.

The council's main objective at this point in the planning process is to come up with a viable cost estimate as determined by a qualified architect to compare with the $6.1 million projection for renovating the current community center.

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"I agree with the mayor that as we move forward we need to understand what we want the totality of this project to look like, and we need to take a look at what it takes to continue a renovation process as well as begin to design a new building," said Councilman Julian Gold, who sits on the liaison committee with Mayor William Brien.

Council members based their study session discussion on the following questions posed by the liaison committee:

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  • Should a new building have a middle school-size gymnasium or a smaller multipurpose room?
  • Should the building be one or two stories?
  • Should parking be on the surface or subterranean?
  • Should park improvements such as improved drainage, irrigation, new playground equipment and surfacing, shading and new restrooms become part of the plan, or should it strictly focus on the community center?

"We need to look at the potential of building a new building," Councilwoman Lili Bosse said. "I have a very big concern, though, about moving it and then taking away green space."

Bosse said she did not support a building design that called for a larger structure than the current facility or a middle school-size gym due to concerns over parking.

Councilman Barry Brucker said he leans toward favoring a new structure instead of refurbishing the old building.

"All of the things that you don't see until you start rehabbing a building, I think are very, very troublesome," said Brucker, who agreed with Bosse on the importance of preserving the park's green space, though he would consider a slightly larger facility.

Vice Mayor John Mirisch supported a multipurpose room instead of the gymnasium.

"We should get the kind of multiple use that will benefit all sorts of uses, including seniors for their parties and that sort of thing," he said.

Mirisch favored a one-story design, surface parking, and a basement level for storage or activity rooms.

Council members agreed that a possible storm-drain and irrigation upgrade was worthy of further study.

Mayor William Brien said further public meetings reporting progress on the project would continue through the summer.

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