Recreation Center Building

May 2024

On May 2, 2024, after interviewing three OPM candidates, the committee voted to hire Pomroy Associates. The OPM will work in the best interests of the Town, including when choosing an architect, helping in the selection of a designer, overseeing contractors, and ensuring the success of the project.

Previously, Pomroy has shown success acting as an OPM on municipal buildings projects, including Dartmouth's Police Station building project in 2019.

March 2024

On March 7, 2024 the Rec Center Building Committee met for the first time. Their first goal is to select an Owners Project Manager (OPM) who act on behalf of the group to oversee the project. This can include the planning, design, construction, commissioning, as well as the closeout phases.

January 2024

On January 8, 2024, the Select Board voted to form a committee to build a Recreation Center in Dartmouth. The committee will be tasked with selecting and providing support to the Owners Project Manager and Designer, and performing community outreach activities to ensure that resident voices are heard throughout the project’s lifetime. The Committee will submit recommendations to the Select Board for the new recreation center facility for funding consideration.

The committee will have the following membership:

Voting Members:

• 1 representative of the Select Board
• 1 representative of the Park Board
• 1 representative of the Capital Planning Committee
• 1 representative of the Finance Committee
• 3 at-large members from the community, preferably with backgrounds in architecture, design, planning, project management, communication, and community engagement. The Board will attempt to recruit at large members who represent key stakeholder groups such as families who use Town recreational programs.

Ex-Officio Members:

• Town Administrator
• Director of Parks and Recreation
• Director of Budget and Finance
• Emergency Management Agent

Read the full Committee Charge for the Recreation Center Building Committee here.

March 2022

In March 2022, a feasibility study was completed and approved by the Dartmouth Select Board. The presentation of the approved study can be found here. The study found determined the following:

• The proposed community center should focus on fulfilling the recreation needs of the Town of Dartmouth.
• Gym space was considered the space needed the most and a three-court gym is most optimal to meet the needs.
• An indoor walking track was highly desired in the survey and walking in general was mentioned many times in survey responses. The Town could consider the addition of a track above the gym as another alternative that appeals to all ages.
• The estimated construction cost for the recommended facility is $14 million.
• The estimated design cost, which would be the next step to move this project forward is $900,000.
• The recommended conceptual design can be found below:

October 2019

In October 2019, Town Meeting members approved $45,000 to fund a feasibility study for a new intergenerational community center for indoor recreational activities and programs. The broad goals of the feasibility study were to:

• Evaluate the current and future programming and space needs for Recreation and Council on Aging.
• Engage the community to identify the need for a community center and the types of programs that would be offered.
• Assess whether or not the existing facilities are adequate, or if the current and future needs would require extended facilities.

An online survey was issued to the community, which collected 896 responses. You can view a complete presentation of the survey results from July 2021 along with recommended options for community centers here.