HAMPDEN — The Hampden Senior Center Building Committee will host a public forum on Oct. 9 to present the updated plan before the fall Town Meeting.
The updated plan maintains the previous goal of expanding the current center while also reducing the overall cost of the project, Senior Center Building Committee member Gary Weiner explained at the Sept. 9 Board of Selectmen meeting.
Changes in the updated plan include the elimination of a multimedia space and an office space. In total, approximately 800 square feet were removed from the originally proposed expansion, which results in a cost reduction from about $5 million to $4.7 million, Weiner stated.
“The original building cost was roughly $5 million. We’re down to $4.7 [million] but in actuality we’ve lost $200,000 worth of buying power in delay to get us to a building and an expansion,” Weiner said. He noted that inflation and the loss of its escalation clause impacted this outcome.
When asked about why the committee was pursuing expansion rather than remodeling the current building, Weiner emphasized the conflict between available space in the current building and the space required for needed improvements.
He explained that the main areas in need of expansion are the center’s bathrooms, office space, space for programs and storage space. Yet, due to the current center’s limited space, the expansion of these areas cannot occur without impacting the center’s functions unless the center is expanded. The expanded center would support these areas for 25 years.
Weiner noted that the committee’s presentation prior to the last Town Meeting “could have been better in explaining to the people in the community that it’s not just a senior center but it’s a center that serves the community.” He stated that non-seniors utilize services at the center, such as assistance with taxes, and that the committee would be using a capital program to help with raising funds to reduce the overall project cost.
He explained the high number of programs that the Senior Center hosts, saying, “I think, like many people [at the last Town Meeting], I was not aware of all that the center does and the Scribe lays out how much square footage is used on a daily basis and a weekly basis.”
The Senior Center’s Scantic Scribe Newsletter is released monthly and highlights the services, programs, events and meals offered each month at the center. It is available to view online at hampdenma.gov/council-aging/pages/scantic-scribe-newsletter.
Senior Center Building Committee member John Matthews Jr. further stated that the committee worked to keep the “income-generating” components of the project when making cuts, specifically naming the center’s café and boutique.
The Hampden Senior Center previously hosted a pop-up boutique during the month of August as an expansion of its small but popular rack at the front of the center. While the numbers are still unconfirmed, Senior Center Executive Director Rebecca Moriarty estimated that the boutique raised about $6,400.
Matthews also stated that the center’s café could raise additional funds through utilization of the building’s level 3 fast electric chargers, which he estimated would take about 20 minutes to charge an electric vehicle’s battery.
“The big thing is the Senior Center came up about 25 years ago because the bottom of the Town Hall was not enough room for the programs then. We’re seeing the same growth again,” Selectman John Flynn said, noting the town’s need for expansion across multiple areas. “The selectmen, we’re dealing with the problem of the Town Hall. We’re out of room here. We’re looking for a solution. The highway garage was out of room. We came up with a solution.”
Flynn emphasized his appreciation for the committee’s work to find a “compromise,” saying “there was no fluff in the original plan, but we appreciate the fact that you came back to us and said everybody’s taken a little bit, we’ll do what we can as well.”
At the Oct. 9 forum, the committee will review the updated plan (Option B.4) in greater detail and explain the needs for expansion, Weiner said. A copy of the cost breakdown for the updated plan is also expected to be released online. As of press time, only the previous expansion plan (Option B.2) was available online on the Senior Center Building Committee’s webpage.
Thornton W. Burgess School
Town Administrator Brian Domina also reviewed a draft timeline for the Town Hall’s relocation into Thornton Burgess School.
Domina noted that the timeline was only in draft form, stating that the timeline could change when the town receives the condition assessment of the building in October. He read the draft timeline aloud at the meeting, stating that it would have the town moving into Thornton W. Burgess School for the next fiscal year on July 7, 2025.
The timeline laid out by Domina is as follows:
- September: The town would sign the lease agreement with the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, craft the fall Town Meeting article for the project and conduct a spatial planning analysis with Tigh and Bond.
- October: Funds for the preliminary planning would need to be approved at fall Town Meeting, an initial layout of the new Town Hall would be created, the town would receive the building’s conditions assessment, energy efficiency possibilities would be researched, and the Board of Selectmen would visit nearby towns with similarly converted town halls.
- November: Town staff would tour Thornton Burgess School to share their thoughts on a possible layout for the Town Hall. The town would also make any needed modifications to the initial building layout, assess needed information technology for the building and discuss how to approach the building’s maintenance.
- December: Discussions with HWRSD would take place concerning “personal property” left at the school and a list of needed capital improvements would be created.
- January 2025: HWRSD students and staff would no longer require use of the building and potential grant opportunities to help fund the relocation would be available for applications.
- February/March 2025: The town would put together an operating budget and receive estimates on any costs for the relocation.
- April 2025: The relocation’s operations budget would be placed on the annual Town Meeting warrant.
- May 2025: The operating budget would need to be approved at annual Town Meeting. The town would also begin requesting costs from moving companies to assist with the relocation as well as finalize the relocation schedule and make any needed IT changes.
- June/July 2025: The current Town Hall would close for in-person visitation on June 26, with the formal relocation occurring on June 30 and July 1. In-person visitation would then not be available again on July 2-3 to allow staff to settle in the new location. The relocated Town Hall would open for in-person visitation at Thornton Burgess School on Monday, July 7.
“Short term improvements” to Thornton W. Burgess School would occur during May 2025 while longer and “medium” improvements could occur after the relocation, Domina said.
