New Fairbank Community Center Heading To Sudbury Town Meeting

SUDBURY, MA — A proposal for a new community center in Sudbury will be debated at the upcoming spring town meeting, according to officials. There might be two options on the table — an entirely new replacement for the Fairbank Community Center and a renovation option.

In November, ICON Architecture presented the Board of Selectmen with a study on a new 42,000 square-foot community center priced at about $28 million. The study also looked at a $21 million renovation option for the Fairbank building.

The Selectmen voted in December to put the $28 million plan into an article for the May 4 Town Meeting. Selectman Bill Schineller said he would push to put a second article for the renovation option on the warrant, although it may not look exactly like what was presented in November.

A new community center would host a variety of town programs, from the Council on Aging to an aquatics center, according to the ICON study. A new community center has been on the table since 2012, when the Board of Selectmen formed the now-disbanded Fairbank Community Center Study Task Force.

A warrant for a $27.7 million new community center appeared on the special Town Meeting warrant on Jan. 2, but the item was put on hold.