Ellenwood Center, the home of Bedford’s Parks Recreation Department, is open to the public after nearly a year of updates and construction projects, and Director Erin Fach hopes residents will come by and take a look at the improvements. Once inside, visitors will immediately notice new ceilings, lighting, carpeting and paint, as well as updates to the office areas.
While the results of the project make for a more attractive space, the reason for the work was for safety first rather than aesthetics. According to Assistant Director Michael Callahan, the former ceilings were found to contain asbestos just over the threshold of an acceptable level. It was nothing that the administration panicked over, but it was enough that remediation was needed. Callahan said that with a project like that, they needed to make sure it was done the right way.
In all, the cost of the remediation project was close to $90,000. Fach said about $35,000 went toward the actual remediation and another $45,000 to putting the ceilings back in. Grants were obtained for new lighting — along with its installation — at an amount close to $7,500. Many other smaller projects were done in-house to keep costs down, but these added more to the work timeline since they were done only when people were available.
Fach said the project was never intended to be a renovation, but the remediation has allowed the department to create a space that hopefully will draw more people to use the services in the center.
“We are trying to create a welcoming atmosphere where we can be the hub for the community; where people feel welcome and you are coming into a clean space,” he said. “Some of the visions and ideas we have for recreation programs are really trying to increase foot-traffic throughout the building and really trying to maximize the use of this facility.”
Fach said that while the remediation and updates were needed, the department made a point not to invest so much in the building that it can’t do something else at a later time, depending on recreational needs. Updates are still needed on the second floor and on a porch on one of the exits.
Visitors who have previously been on the first floor of the center will notice the very large window that welcomes visitors who need to talk to someone in the office. The opening replaces a small sliding window that employees used to liken to the kind you find on an ice-cream truck. Inside, the offices have been upgraded recently with new furniture, as well.
In the office is another addition — a flat screen TV — that allows employees to monitor five security cameras situated inside the center and five outside of the building. Also new in the building, the maintenance office has been moved to a room right next to the main offices, allowing more continuity in planning and upkeep.
The former maintenance room is now the new activity room for seniors, complete with new carpeting and other additions.
Along with the current parks and recreational offerings, Fach said he is looking for input from residents for the types of programs they would like moving forward. He said that closing the building down for a while enabled them to take a step back and begin planning for the future.
