Decision nears on Senior Center site

Published by The Boston Globe

The long search for a location for a new senior center appears to be reaching a critical phase as the committee set up to review potential sites gathers the last bits of information needed for their recommendation..

Selectman Denise Garlick, chair of the town's Senior Citizen Center Exploratory Committee, said the committee expects to get the last piece of information on one of the seven sites at their Aug. 6 meeting and will then proceed to decide on a recommendation which will be delivered to selectmen.



She did not say when that vote would be taken but the exploratory committee has scheduled five meetings for August.

"All of the information will be on the table for all the sites," said Garlick. "It’s decision making time."

Selectmen would then vote on the committee's proposal and decide which site to recommend to Town Meeting this fall.

On July 28, the committee heard from Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick, who reported on three of the sites.

Fitzpatrick offered evaluations on the Wingate property on Highland avenue , the Stephen Palmer building on Pickering street and the Needham Heights MBTA lot off West street.

Fitzpatrick said in her report that Continental Wingate Development has proposed creating a senior center within their existing building, Wingate Healthcare. This would require the town to enter a commercial real estate agreement with rent between $360,000 and $600,000 per year, the report said.

Continental Wingate Development is less willing to allow construction of an independent building on its property, the report said.

To use the Stephen Palmer building, the town would first have to purchase or take the building, the report said. Any taking of the building would probably be done through eminent doman.

If Needham took the building, the town would have to ask the current tenants to leave and compensate them for moving costs and for more expensive rent in their new apartments. The tenants would not have to leave until four months after written notice, the report said.

The MBTA, meanwhile, is willing to sell, lease or swap the Needham Heights lot and is currently estimating the property’s value. The agency would need to retain about 100 parking spaces for commuter use, but about 185 spots would remain for senior parking, the report said..

The committee also heard from the architect evaluating the Emery Grover site on Highland avenue, the last of his sites to examine. He will give his final report on Emery Grover on Aug. 6, Garlick said.

The other possible sites are Greene's Field on Pickering Street, Ridge Hill off Charles River street and Rosemary Hill off Rosemary street.