Wayland Community Center Breaking Ground, 2024 Finish Expected

WAYLAND, MA — A long-brewing plan to build a new community center and Council on Aging facility in Wayland will break ground Wednesday, with officials still projecting that construction will wrap by the end of 2024.

Planning for the community center, which will rise near the corner of Andrew Avenue and Route 20, dates back almost a decade. Voters in May 2022 approved a tax override for the $11 million project. Prior to that, Town Meeting funded planning for the project.

Plans call for an existing building on the site — a former daycare center — to be renovated and expanded along with updated landscaping, a trail near the Sudbury River and parking. The building will especially be a benefit for local seniors, who have to attend programs at sites scattered around town — and in some cases, in other towns. The center will also be available for town recreation programs, arts programming and community events like scouting meetings and town volunteer boards.

As of this week, the project is still on budget, according to Town Manager Michael McCall. The project has a contingency fund of nearly $500,000 for overruns. The groundbreaking will take place Wednesday at 11 a.nm. at 8 Andrews Ave., and will include the unveiling of the new community center sign.