Spicer Administration Reaffirms Support For Health Dept. Move

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Mayor Yvonne Spicer and her administration released an updated statement on Friday regarding the proposed move of the city Health Department into the Callahan Center by mid-June. The statement is a response to questions asked at a tense Council on Aging Board meeting on Tuesday, where residents packed the Callahan Center to voice their discontent to the mayor. The mayor has said that the decision to move to the Callahan center is not final.

At Tuesday's meeting, residents voiced concern over transparency in the administration, saying the City Council, Callahan Center and Council on Aging were not notified in advanced. Residents suggested other locations, for fear that programs in the center would be disrupted and seniors would be exposed to illnesses.

Alternate options such as the Perini building, City Hall, the Danforth Building and the Old McAuliffe Library Building were considered by the administration. The Callahan Center was chosen as the most fiscally responsible option, with a connection between the Health Department and senior community, the mayor's office says. The Callahan Center was also the only location equip with the proper generator and wiring to meet the Health Department's needs.

In the updated Frequently Asked Questions statement, the mayor's office explains that the Nobscot Chapel, Marian High School, and SMOC facilities, among other locations, were deemed unfit for spacial and fiscal reasons.

The statement also says that the city did not conduct a formal impact study or reach out to the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority for possible space. If the city goes through with the move, the Heritage Gift Shop will not be reimbursed either.

The statement reads, "The funds raised by the Heritage Gift Shop are used for programs above and beyond those the City already funds through the annual budget. It is our understanding, the Heritage Gift shop was scheduled to be relocated. If the Health Department were to move into the Callahan Center, it would have accelerated the schedule. The City was prepared to make other improvements to the Callahan Center to make sure all current programs that were impacted by the Health Department would continue. The goal was to not eliminate any existing programs and to make improvements to the building to ensure any programs that were relocated within the building would continue."

City Councilor Mike Cannon has filed an ordinance that would reassign custody and control of the Callahan center property to the Council on Aging. The ordinance could end up on the City Council's agenda Tuesday night. In an email to the Council on Aging board, Cannon said "Executive action by the Mayor would be a lot faster and I am still hopeful that she reverses her decision."

The deadline to move the Health Department out of the Fuller school is June 15. Work to get the center ready would have to start the third week of May.

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