Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) celebrated the ribbon cutting of Acton’s new Community Center at 17 Woodbury Lane. Trahan secured $750,000 Community Project Funding and the Town of Acton used $600,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to complete the project. 

“Unique projects like this don’t have one straight forward funding source. They need leaders to work together and find different funding sources to get them across the finish line, and today we can say we got it done,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “Thank you to all our local and state leaders for years of hard work and partnership to bring this vision of a new community center to life. I hope this new Center brings the community together and serves as a place of joy and unity for all.”

“We thank Congresswoman Trahan for her leadership and strong support for this project,” said Acton Town Manager John Mangiaratti. “The historic Asaph Parlin House at 17 Woodbury Lane had been deteriorating after decades of debate over use and lack of available funding. The $750,000 federal earmark was the catalyst that helped move this project forward along with additional funding from ARPA. With this federal support we were able resolve a local blight and preserve the historic structure in a functional and unique new community space.”

The space, 17 Woodbury Lane, was locally referred to as the Asaph Parlin House after early Acton settlers. Built in the 1860s, the wood-frame house is part of the Historic Acton Centre District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 1996, the Town purchased the house with the intent of creating additional space for library events and potentially accommodating a cultural center. The new community center is intended to support municipal and community programming, meetings, and workshops.

During the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations process, Trahan secured $750,000 in federal funding for the project. She also cast her vote to pass ARPA in 2021, which delivered unprecedented federal investments in states and towns like Acton. The Town of Acton utilized $600,000 of their federal ARPA allotment to complete the long overdue project.

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