Selectmen Consider Two Options Keeping COA at Community Center

After an uncharacteristic display of discord, selectmen were down to two options for keeping senior services at the Wellesley Community Center Monday night.

Both options involve knocking down the 219 Washington St. building and doing and a re-build: A complete town takeover or shared "condominium" ownership of a new building between the town and the Community Center board. Each requires Wellesley to shoulder the majority of the cost - $4 million of an estimated $4.4 million, with the Community Center Board of Directors taking on $400,000.

Either plan would require the cooperation of the Wellesley Friendly Aid society, which operates in the adjacent building and owns the property at 219 Washington St. 

The board appeared to lean toward a takeover of the site. "We don't feel that the town should be contributing $4 million into a facility that we don't own or control," said Selectman Barbara Searle.

Selectman Chairman Katherine "Gig" Babson suggested that the Wellesley Community Center consider giving up the building entirely, and direct the organization's endowment toward aiding community programs apart from the old location.

After the meeting, Wellesley Community Center President Steve Perretti did not warm up to Babson's idea. "The Wellesley Community Center's mission is to provide meeting space at the lowest possible cost," Perretti said. To do that, he said, the organization needs a meeting space. He said an advantage of keeping senior services at the Community Center is that the organization's board keeps the burden of managing the facility.

Regarding the condominium option, said Selectman Barbara Searle, "It's certainly something we should look at," within the next three weeks, to see if it's viable.

For Selectman Ellen Gibbs, discussions with the Community Center Board to keep senior services at the location had gone long enough. "This is about as far as I'd be willing to go," Gibbs said.

She noted that the town had already approved design of a new senior center, and that option was still available. Last year, Town Meeting approved $600,000 for design and permitting funds for a stand-alone senior center at 496 Washington St., the former site of the American Legion building.  The design work and traffic studies have been completed.

Council on Aging Chairman Linda Cohen read a statement on behalf of the council urging selectmen to move forward with the stand-alone senior center option. COA Director Gayle Thieme told selectmen the staff felt the same.

Gibbs' comments came after a review of several options Selectmen and the Community Center's board of directors have explored, with the selectmen ultimately deciding senior services couldn't be kept at the location without a tear-down and rebuild of the site.

Gibbs was not satisfied that those options were the best route for senior services long-term. "We have to imagine the future, not just the immediate needs," Gibbs said.

Selectman Terri Tsgaris made a motion that selectmen would explore the two tear-down options to see if they were viable, and hold another meeting to discuss their findings in three weeks.  Gibbs suggested that the stand-alone senior center should be part of the assessment.

"I don't see that at all," said Babson. She said it didn't make sense to assess both options simultaneously. She added that there was a clear message from Town Meeting to explore keeping senior services at the Community Center, which was met with a collective grumble from the crowd, which had swelled to about 34 people, most of them senior citizens, for the discussion at 7:16 p.m. "Maybe other people don't agree," Babson said, and was answered with another grumble.

 Searle said that the motion wouldn't preclude an eventual comparison with the solo senior center, but determining if the tear-down options were viable at all should happen separately. Selectman Owen Dugan said if the tear-down wasn't viable in the first place, there would be no point in comparing it to the solo center.

Harriet Warshaw, a Town Meeting member, addressed selectmen and pointed out that Town Meeting had not voted on exploring options to keep senior services at the Wellesley Community Center. "I never remember that Town Meeting considered doing that," Warshaw said.

"I agree," Babson conceded.

Warshaw said that she had no problem with selectmen determining if the tear-down options were viable, so long as the solo senior center was part of the ultimate list of viable options selectmen considered. "As long as that's what we're talking about, that gives me a lot of comfort," Warshaw said.

Mary Bower was not comforted. "I'm afraid that the stand-alone senior center at the American Legion site will be lost," she said.

Selectmen agreed to explore the tear-down options with the Community Center and meet to discuss their findings in three weeks, but no formal vote was taken. The meeting is scheduled for Oct 12.