Senior center decision delayed until Monday

Published by The Boston Globe

The Senior Center Exploratory Committee pushed back its decision of where to locate the new Needham Senior Center last night until Monday, the day before they must make their recommendations to the Board of Selectmen.

“We’ve looked at every possible site mentioned to us, that we were aware of or that is owned by the town,” said Jim Healy, co-chair of the committee. “I feel very comfortable tonight the committee has done its work.”

Healy said, however, that he wanted to wait until Monday to decide which site to recommend so that members could consider their final thoughts over the weekend.


The committee, charged in 2008 with recommending locations, cost and size for a new senior center to Needham Selectmen, are currently choosing among five sites, none of which are perfect, said Denise Garlick, Selectman and co-chair of the committee.

Healy moderated the meeting, bringing discussion on each site to the table with various questions, such as “Do we believe we should recommend a site downtown?” “Could we recommend a site smaller than 20,000 sq. ft. to avoid an override?” and “Can we eliminate one site now?”

All committee members seemed to agree that Rosemary Hill on Rosemary Street would be a good location for a senior center, but the estimated cost for a project there is much too high for the town to fund.

“It’s a great site for the future,” said Garlick. “It would prolong the discussion unnecessarily. I saw great potential in that site, but it’s the rationale for why cost has become part of conversation.”

The committee, however, did not officially eliminate Rosemary Hill.

The ten members also discussed Ridge Hill on Charles St. separately, because it is the only site not downtown. Some members expressed the idea that most senior want a downtown site, but others argued they have heard positive feedback about Ridge Hill.

“Downtown is ideal, and Ridge Hill is such an outlier—most of the seniors don’t want to be out that far,” said Matthew Borelli, a committee member.

Some members recognized that Greene’s Field on Pickering Street was a favorite among seniors, but others expressed concern that a recommendation of Greene’s Field would never pass the Selectmen or Town Meeting. A group called “Greene’s Field Forever” has formed in opposition of locating the center there because they think it would eliminate open space in town.

“Greene’s the most contentious,” said Maurice Handel, committee member and a Selectman. “There’s potential for generational disagreement over use of the field, and it’s not likely to get broad-based community support.”

Handel did say, however, that he wanted to keep Emery Grover, on Highland Avenue, in discussion, despite concerns about traffic from neighbors, nearby St. Joseph’s Elementary School and the Needham Council on Aging.

The Council on Aging noted at their meeting last night that they would not support a senior center located at Emery Grover. Several members from the Council are also members of the Senior Center Exploratory Committee—Mary Elizabeth Weadock, Carol de Lemos and Colleen Schaller.

The Council on Aging does not like the Emery Grover site because of traffic and safety concerns, the three members said. The building has three floors, which may pose a challenge for senior center staff to monitor.

“The Council on Aging has not vetoed any other spot, so I think we should respect that,” said Garlick.

Very few members expressed concerns with the MBTA lot on West Street as a potential site. Neighbors are willing to welcome a center there, and traffic is less threatening than at other downtown sites, they said.

The MBTA has committed to the terms of swapping their Needham Heights lot for another lot owned by the town at Hersey Station at the corner of Great Plain Avenue and Broad Meadow Road, said Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick, who conducted a feasibility study of the MBTA site.

The committee will meet again on Monday at 7 p.m. at a location to be determined to make their final recommendations by majority vote, which they will present to the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday.