Updated Dec. 4
The Chilmark Community Center Trust is bidding to operate the Chilmark Community Center, where the town’s tennis and summer camp programs are run.
The nonprofit organization, also called the CCCTrust, announced on Friday that it intends to submit a proposal to the town to run the center starting next year.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to share our vision for a vibrant program that is responsive to the needs of our community throughout the year,” said CCCTrust co-chair Heather Quinn, a year-round resident and former director of Camp Playschool. “Transparency, collaboration, and local stewardship are central to our mission. We believe that strong community programming should serve all ages and interests — from playschool and camp to adult learning, including art, music, and wellness.”
The group was formed following a February report by the Chilmark Community Center Moderators Committee, which outlined a series of recommendations for improved operations for the center, including a bidding process to determine who would manage the center.
The community center has had a controversial chapter that stems from a dispute between the Chilmark Town Affairs Council, the longtime managers of the center, and a group of residents called the Friends and Associates of Chilmark Tennis, who sought more year-round programs and opposed the removal of a tennis pro who taught there.
The CCCTrust stated it is looking to bring better management overall to the community center, not just for the tennis program.
“Our main goal is to bring community back,” Nathaniel Scott, CCCTrust co-chair and former camp director at the center, told The Times. “There’s so much more that binds us together than pulls us apart.”
But Susan Adrien, executive director of the Chilmark Community Center, pushed back on claims that the center lacked transparency. She highlighted that the center holds monthly meetings where community members can ask questions of officials, and a summer program committee was formed that is made up of volunteers from the community.
“They ask me some tough questions, and I never shy away from them,” Adrien said. She underscored that while feedback is taken seriously, not all of the suggestions can be implemented.
Additionally, Adrien highlighted the change of leadership at the Chilmark Town Affairs Council (CTAC), which has been overseeing the community center for the past 70 years, since the tennis controversies.
Adrien also said the goals highlighted by CCCTrust, like improved management and creating a welcoming environment for all patrons, were already being pursued by the center’s staff, even before the moderator’s report was released. She said there has been a yearslong effort to “professionalize” the center and its staff. “We have put in place every single recommendation,” Adrien said.
“We prioritize welcoming everyone from the community,” Adrien said, and noted that there has been a high level of satisfaction reported by campers and families.
According to the CCCTrust, it has more than 150 members signed on as supporters, which the group stated was a reflection of the “growing community enthusiasm for renewed leadership and year-round engagement.”
Scott declined to identify specifics of the group’s proposal yet, but the organization has stated that a “high priority” for CCCTrust is “the rejuvenation and enhancement of Chilmark campus cooperation among the preschool, library, Chilmark School, and Post Office.”
“This is about strengthening a place that shapes childhoods, friendships, and our sense of community,” Scott said in a statement. “When you’ve seen the joy of a summer morning at the camp, you understand what makes this place so special. That spirit of community is worth protecting. The CCCTrust is our way of giving back to a place that has given so much to all of us.”
CCCTrust officials say the organization encourages year-round and summer residents and former campers to join the conversations and offer ideas to “help shape a revitalized future for one of Chilmark’s most beloved institutions.” For more information or to share ideas, email info@chilmarkcctrust.org.
Adrien said the request for proposals is expected to be released on Dec. 18, with proposals due by Jan. 6. She said CTAC will be submitting a proposal as well. For more information or to share ideas, Adrien said people can email admin@chilmarkcommunitycenter.org.
“We feel very confident the town has been happy with the work we’ve been doing,” Adrien said.
Updated with comments from Susan Adrien.
