Future of Keene Community Center pending

KEENE | To renovate or rebuild — that is what the town is trying to determine for the future of its Community Center on Church Street. "There's been a lot of discussion with the town board but not much progress," said Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson about the center that has been closed since June after asbestos and vermiculite were discovered throughout the building. "Now it's time to really look at the building and figure out what we want out of it and what we're going to do with it." The Keene Community Center used to house Little Peaks Preschool & Early Childhood Center until it moved into a new, expanded facility across from the Town Hall in 2023. "They increased the size of their program," Wilson said. "That left a big hole in usage at the community center." The town recently hired Kas Inc. to explore the potential future of the Community Center. So far, there are three options: clean it up and use as is; clean it up and renovate; or demolish it and build new. "Without more information about what is possible and what the costs are, it's tough to pick a path to go down," Wilson said. "So, we're anxiously waiting for the engineering firm to give us real, concrete information to work with to make plans to progress this project." The same year Little Peaks moved, a group of concerned residents formed a task force to determine what could be done with it. After collecting a multitude of suggestions from the community, the task force presented the board with its recommendations, which primarily focused on renovating the building, including designing specific rooms for youth activities and classes and a larger room for community dinners and dances. "The task force was pretty clear that they would like to keep the existing building because of the memories," Wilson said. But like with many older buildings, it needs work. "It's old. It's got plumbing problems, heating problems, roof problems, everything." And that's why this study is being done, to determine the best possible solution. "I really can't even imagine which way we're gonna go," said community member Ann Hough, who helped spearhead the Community Center Task Force. "We'll have to see what they say first." In the meantime, community members can still utilize the outdoor amenities of the property, including sports fields, a sledding hill, and the playground, which was built just last year thanks to a generous donation from a long-time community member. Plans are also in place to put up a temporary building for the skating program. "We're in a state of flux right now," Hough said. "But regardless of what option we do go with, we definitely need a space for the community."

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Future of Keene Community Center pending

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