Debate continues on Senior Center site

Published by The Boston Globe

As the Needham Senior Center Exploratory Committee prepares for its next meeting on Wednesday night, debate continues among town officials and residents over the best location for the new center.

While one selectman argues for keeping the selection process focused and on track, others claim a timeline is not as important as examining enough choices.



The Board of Selectmen voted two weeks ago to add the Stephen Palmer building, located at 83 Pickering Street, to the list of sites being considered for the new center. That brings the number of sites to seven.

The current center is located in the basement of the Palmer building, which also has 28 apartments, the selectmen said.

Selectman Denise Garlick, who chairs the Exploratory Committee, said although the town owns the land, it leases the building to the Crown and Shield Company, which has 17 years left on its lease.

The procedure for taking over the building would be too complicated to stay on the timeline for creating the new center, said Garlick, who is running for state representative.

“The senior center is the number one priority for this town,” said Garlick. “The town has been dealing with this issue for 11 years. We have to make a decision, and as a town, we have to move forward.”

But Selectmen Chairman John Bulian said he voted to add the Stephen Palmer site because the committee needs to have enough sites to choose from.

“I don’t know if I would even support it there,” said Bulian. “But for it not to be included would be a mistake, because it’s a site downtown. Clearly, you have some seniors that have an interest in having it downtown.”

Bulian said there is confusion about the terms of the lease, and that residents and officials should feel they can talk about the future of the building.

“I would never look to evict or remove somebody from their home without due and fair process,” he said. “But if Crown and Shield said next week, ‘We want to give you the building back,’ under the terms of the lease, they’re required to give it back free and clear of tenants with 30 days notice. That’s it.”

Both selectmen acknowledged the process of selecting a site for the Senior Center has been a struggle. Some residents have voiced strong opposition to locating the center at one of the sites - Greene's Field on Pickering Street, saying it would result in a loss of space in the town.

Selectman Jerry Wasserman, who is also running for state representative, said he thought adding enough sites is important to achieve consensus throughout the town.

Wasserman, along with Maurice Handel, voted with Bulian to add the Stephen Palmer building. Selectman Daniel Matthews sided with Garlick in voting not to include the Palmer building.