Wayland Breaks Ground on New Council on Aging / Community Center
Wayland, MA – The Town of Wayland hosted a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday to celebrate the start of construction on Wayland’s new Council on Aging – Community Center (COA/CC). The program was highlighted by speeches from Town Manager Michael McCall, State Rep. Carmine Gentile, State Rep. David Linsky, Council on Aging Director Julie Secord, Council on Aging Committee Chairperson Betsy Soule, and Council on Aging member & Design Review Advisory Board member Bill Sterling.
The ceremony also included the presentation of the project signboard, which will be posted outside the entrance of the COA/CC. The sign will provide project details including an artist’s rendering of what the new COA/CC will look like once completed. Additionally, a small viewing area was created to allow attendees an opportunity to view the construction progress inside the building.
Town Manager Michael McCall stated, “This project represents a significant milestone for our community and I am honored to stand in front of you as we embark on this endeavor together. This project represents a commitment to creating a space that not only serves the immediate needs of our community but also contributes to a sustainable and environmentally conscious future that we all support here in Wayland.” He concluded, “Lastly, it is about empowering change and also represents our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle because we took the shell of a building and turned it into something that will be here for generations going forward.”
State Representatives Linsky & Gentile both congratulated the Town on this achievement and highlighted the value of having a COA/CC in the community. Rep. Linsky stated, “We have a crisis in this country of loneliness and that is one of the silent killers out there today….I have had the wonderful experience of seeing the Natick Senior/Community Center open over the last few years and how that has really turned into a resource for so many people…It is a place to gather, be with other people and make connections. That keeps people healthy and that keeps people alive.” State Rep. Gentile added, “What a wonderful place for people to gather, not only seniors but younger people as well and have a sense of community, make new friends, and make networks.”
Council on Aging Director stated, “There are so many people to thank…what makes this groundbreaking so special is that it’s been fourteen years but a groundbreaking to me is the last chapter, it’s construction and when it’s construction, that vision becomes a reality.”
Council on Aging Chair Betsy Soule stated, “Twenty Five percent of this community are seniors...this is a nod to the seniors in the community that they’re important and what their needs are is important and their ability to interact with people, to combat loneliness, to learn new skills, to make new friends, to do so many things will be elevated in this building.”
Council on Aging member Bill Sterling expressed his appreciation to various volunteers and officials for their assistance in making this project a reality. He emphasized, “We did this because Wayland was missing a key ingredient, seniors and young people in every town in America need a gathering place that is a place outside of the home where they can drop in and join some activity. This community center will provide that place where seniors will feel the warm embrace of friendship that may go back 40 or 50 years…. On behalf of all the voters in Town, I offer our thanks to all who believed in this vision and worked so persistently. ”
The COA/CC is currently under construction is scheduled to be completed in Dec/Jan of 2024-25. For more information regarding this project, please visit www.wayland.ma.us/coacc
For more information, please contact Assistant Town Manager John Bugbee at 508.358.6821.
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