The Town invites the Arlington community to attend a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the reopening of the Community Center, on Thursday, May 5 at 5:00 p.m. The event will feature remarks from Adam Chapdelaine, Town Manager; Jennifer Raitt, Director of Planning and Community Development; Kristine Shah, Council on Aging Director; and representatives from the Council on Aging Board and the Select Board. A brief tour featuring an overview of the building renovations and improvements will follow. Refreshments will be provided, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

The Community Center Renovation Project was guided and overseen by the Department of Planning and Community Development with management support provided by the Permanent Town Building Committee. The property is managed by the Arlington Redevelopment Board. In 2015 the Town created the Central School Feasibility Study Group, composed of representatives from Health and Human Services, Arlington Redevelopment Board, Town Manager’s Office, Arlington Seniors Association, Council on Aging, and Capital Planning Committee. Sterling Associates Inc. Architects (SAIA) was hired to conduct a feasibility study. The Town then hired Vertex as the Owner’s Project Manager and SAIA as the architect in 2017. The project was bid in 2019. Work on the building, also known as the Central School (20 Academy Street/27 Maple Street) began in March of 2020. After two years of phased work, the Arlington Community Center reopened in March. The project cost $8.55 million in Town capital funds. The Council on Aging and Arlington Seniors Association raised more than $170,000 from the community for the Center's new furnishings and the Cafe, Library, Art Room, Pool Room, and Yoga Room were sponsored by local families and businesses.

For additional questions and information about the new Community Center and rentable spaces, please contact Jennifer Raitt, Director of Planning and Community Development at 781-316-3092 or Kristine Shah, Director of the Arlington Council on Aging at 781-316-3400.