An architect’s rendition of the Community Center rain garden (top) and where it will be located with respect to the building (click image to enlarge).
A rain garden, once a part of the plan for the Community Center but shelved due to cost, is back on track.
A rain garden is an environmentally natural way to deal with the runoff from roofs, walkways, and other hard surfaces. The Community Center Rain Garden will be located close to the main entry door and will fill with a few inches of water after rain and then filter the water into the surrounding soil, reducing runoff and recharging the ground water, reducing the need for irrigation and conserving water. It will include a variety of colorful and deep-rooted native seasonal plantings such as iris, lobelia, bee balm, black-eyed Susan and asters, as well as flowering shrubs such as winterberry and holly.
“We express deep thanks to the von Mertens family, who have donated funds to the town to support this valuable resource for the Community Center,” the Community Center Building Committee said in a statement.
The $26.35 million facility broke ground in October 2025 after the Hartwell pods were demolished over the summer and is slated for completion in late fall 2026. It’s being paid for by a combination of bonding, money from the town’s free cash and stabilization fund, and donations, including $1 million from the Friends of the Council on Aging, $500,000 from the Ogden Codman Trust, and (as of March 2024) $340,000 in individual donations. A $24 million bond sale in December funneled $15 million to the Community Center while also funding the $8.47 million Lincoln Road water main project and other Water Department items.
See the CCBC website for construction updates as well as the building’s site plan and floor plan.
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