Health Dept. Will Not Move Into Callahan Center: Final Decision

FRAMINGHAM, MA — It's official, the Callahan Center will remain untouched in the battle over where to place Framingham's Health Department. Mayor Yvonne Spicer issued a written and video statement on Tuesday with her final decision: The Health Department's administrative offices will move into City Hall and an RFP will be issued to find a separate location for the Health Clinic.

The original proposal was to move the Health Department into the Callahan Center by mid-June, but heavy criticism and outcry from the community forced the mayor's administration to rethink the plan. Although Spicer said the proposed move would not disrupt activities and the department would only take 11 percent of the space, residents argued the center was short on space to begin with and the move would be detrimental to the seniors it serves.

The reasoning behind the move was that the Health Department has been working from Fuller Middle school but as construction of the new Fuller building comes closer, the construction company needs the space. The mayor's office said the area where the Health Department was working will be a construction zone and too dangerous for them to stay.

This past weekend the Mayor's office issued a statement reiterating that no decision had been finalized. The administration quickly changed its tune in its latest statement, "No part of the Health Department will relocate to the Callahan Center," the statement reads, "After a meeting with the Council on Aging and Framingham residents last week, the City’s biggest takeaway was the idea to split the health clinic from the Health Department’s administrative offices. This idea made different options available."

The City is creating an RFP for the health clinic and intends to issue it Monday, April 22. Bids will be due May 6, and the City will make a decision mid-May.

The mayor also made a video statement:

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