SMOC Creating New Framingham Community Center

FRAMINGHAM, MA- The South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) acquired Suburban Athletic and Child at 10 Roxanna Street near downtown Framingham. The facility will now be the new community hub for downtown Framingham, offering educational, childcare, recreation and athletic opportunities for families across Greater Framingham.

According to SMOC Executive Vice President Jane Lane, this will be the first community center in the downtown Framingham area. All programs that were being held by Suburban Athletic and Child will continue uninterrupted. Lesley Kinney will remain as the Director of Suburban Child.

"It has been much more of a partnership than an acquisition," Lane said.

The current Suburban Athletic and Child facility includes indoor and outdoor soccer fields, basketball courts and a swimming pool where swim classes and lessons are offered and where swim teams practice and host meets. As part of planned improvements, SMOC will expand existing programming, making the FCC a true community center for all of Framingham.

The Center will serve as a new home for the Boys and Girls Club of MetroWest which has been struggling with finding an appropriate site for its diverse programming. In addition, the Framingham Police Athletic League's boxing, basketball and mentoring programs will be housed at the FCC.

Lane said SMOC has been looking into this acquisition for quite some time and the new community center will create a welcoming space for kids and families in the area.

As part of the acquisition, SMOC has partnered on financing the project with Middlesex
Savings Bank that will enable renovations, upgrades and additional accessibility of the
property. All programs currently located there will continue to function throughout the
renovation period, which is scheduled for later this year.

(For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Framingham Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook! Got a news tip? Email samantha.mercado@patch.com)

Photo Credit: South Middlesex Opportunity Council