After Town Meeting voters rejected a proposed Center for Active Living project, Hingham officials are beginning to sort through public feedback while pursuing short-term improvements to the existing senior center.
At the June 16 Select Board meeting, members reviewed responses submitted through a public feedback form and email address created after Town Meeting. The effort was intended to gather ideas and feedback about potential next steps for the Center for Active Living.
Select Board Chair Liz Klein said the town received approximately 60 messages from residents offering suggestions and concerns about the future of senior services and facilities.
Among the most common themes were using existing buildings before constructing a new facility, avoiding development at Bare Cove Park, reducing project costs and tax impacts, revisiting options involving Town Hall and the police station, and exploring the Hitchcock Shoe Building.
Other recurring suggestions included creating a broader multi-generational community center, improving parking and operations at the current Center for Active Living, conducting additional public engagement and needs assessments, improving transportation and senior services, and considering a smaller phased approach.
Klein noted that while those themes emerged repeatedly, residents offered a wide range of ideas. Vice Chair Julie Strehle said the responses reflected many of the same divisions that emerged during Town Meeting discussions.
"Just like what we heard at town meeting, you have different camps of people who are just very concerned about the economy and the bottom line, their bottom line and the town's bottom line," Strehle said. "And then also the camps of people who are very concerned about the seniors and their facilities and their ability to do the programming and services that are required and important to us as a town."
While officials continue evaluating long-term options, Town Administrator Tom Mayo outlined several near-term improvements planned for the existing Center for Active Living building. Mayo said the town had previously postponed investments in the current facility because officials anticipated a possible move to a new building and did not want to spend money on a space that might eventually be vacated.
"We had been neglecting that space with the anticipation of potentially moving and not wanting to spend good money after bad," Mayo said.
One project would redesign an outdoor courtyard near the building's entrance by removing overgrown hedges and reimagining the space for future use. Mayo said Center for Active Living Director Jennifer Young has been involved in developing ideas for the area. The town is also preparing additional programming space by renovating two rooms that previously served as office space in the former police station portion of the building.
"We've cleaned all that out. We'll paint it and fix up the walls and make that space something that can be used for programming purposes for the seniors," Mayo said.
Mayo said the improvements are intended as short-term steps while the town evaluates larger questions about the future of senior services and facilities. Parking concerns were also discussed during the meeting. During public comment, Council on Aging Vice Chair Joshua Ross asked whether additional parking would accompany the proposed expansion of programming space.
Mayo said the additional space would be limited, describing it as two rooms that could add a few hundred square feet for programming. He said town officials are also exploring scheduling changes that could free parking spaces for seniors. One possibility discussed was offering programming on Fridays, when Town Hall employees are generally not working and parking demand is lower.
A resident also suggested exploring staffing models similar to those used by the Recreation Department to allow for expanded programming opportunities. Town officials emphasized that discussions about both short-term improvements and longer-term solutions will continue.
"We're not done and we want to have a better solution for our seniors," Klein said. "So please know that we are actively working on it and trying to come up with a good short term and long term plan."
The Select Board said it expects to revisit the issue at a future meeting and provide additional updates as planning continues.
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