The Town of Upton contracted Turowski2 Architecture (T2) in March of 2019 to conduct a study to determine the feasibility and cost effectiveness of providing a combined library and elder and social services (Council on Aging) building program along with certain historical and cable and recreation services. Simultaneous to this project, the Town undertook a Town Center Redevelopment study headed by the Town’s Economic Development Committee. The simultaneous studies allowed for significant overlap.

As described by the building committee at the kick off meeting, it was felt that there could be significant overlap of space needs that might reduce overall building space needs while making a combined building an active and vibrant community center, open 7 days a week, day and night.  It might also become a unique model for combined town services for other communities looking to provide these important public services while being fiscally responsible.  The study timeline aligned with an independent visioning study for the town center, and this project became part of the discussion a community forums for that study, and vice versa.  Site analysis was not a major exercise of the municipal center study – T2 was provided a parcel of land, 8 Grove Street to utilize for the design, but the objective was to develop a design that could be accommodated on any site.