Mayor updates committee on Waterford Community Center: tenant growth, trade week, safety tests and capital projects

Mayor (speaker 3) delivered a comprehensive monthly update on the Waterford Community Center, covering tenant operations, building-completion timing, funded safety projects and proposed capital work.

Growing Places and CAC: The mayor said Growing Places is fully operational in the center's kitchen and passed an AIB International audit with a score of 810 (700 needed to pass). "They passed the audit. They received a passing score of an 810," the mayor said, adding Growing Places hosted a congressional delegation and is considering moving 100% of Leominster operations to Gardner pending a council-approved lease amendment.

CAC build-out and public access: The Gardner CAC is fitting out a food pantry (tripling prior space) with CDBG-funded equipment and completed a clothing pantry built as an Eagle Scout project. The mayor explained tenants are responsible for securing public-access pantry doors per their leases and plan to staff the pantry with volunteers and occasional staff coverage.

Trade week and certificate of occupancy: City staff plan a concentrated "trade week" March 16'20 to complete plumbing, electrical and other punch-list work; the executive aide will be onsite to speed DocuSign change orders. The mayor said final plumbing and bathroom connections are the minimum legal items required for a certificate of occupancy, but additional work such as painting and furniture will affect when the senior center actually moves in. Chair cautioned audiences that a certificate of occupancy does not mean the center will open to the public immediately.

Safety, systems and budgets: A $122,000 CDBG-funded fire-alarm installation is planned; the mayor said state-approved air-quality/radon testing showed minimal readings "far, far under" thresholds that would stop the project. The city is tracking an energy/utilities line-item deficit of about $26,000 (budgeted $80,000 originally) and is pursuing efficiency measures (mini-splits, plumbing fixtures, planned solar pilot) while recommending keeping energy budgets at pre-upgrade levels for up to three fiscal years to absorb variance.

Capital projects and timelines: The mayor described an electrical service upgrade proposal (from 800 to 1,600 amps) that requires a new transformer with an 18'24 month delivery lead time from National Grid; roof patching is funded with $6,000 from unused bond proceeds while a full roof replacement is planned as part of a solar leaseholder improvement (project staging depends on National Grid transmission constraints). A proposed front-ramp replacement ($145,000 estimate) was not awarded a state disability grant; staff will reapply after consulting the disability commission. The mayor also noted a preliminary request to evaluate a loading-dock location for deliveries and a summer plan to relocate underused playground equipment to Bickford Playground.

Next steps: staff will proceed with trade-week coordination, finalize bid packages for the fire-alarm work, continue National Grid coordination on transformer ordering and present any necessary appropriations to council for approval.