January 8, 2026 By Carol Britton Meyer
An update on the design and cost of the proposed new Center for Active Living on Bare Cove Drive was presented to the select board in a joint meeting with the building committee Tuesday night.
“The overall construction cost as of today is $29,927,423,” project team member Chris Wante of EDM Studio said. “This number [determined by two estimators] is hot off the press this afternoon.”
Last September, the project cost was estimated at $30.6 million, with a $34.1 million price tag at the 2025 Town Meeting at which design funding was approved. If the project passes muster at the Spring 2026 annual Town Meeting for construction funding, the targeted opening time frame is 2028.
The latest estimate does not include the cost of a traffic light at the entrance to the park, a new water line extended to the Bare Cove Park entrance gate for a fire hydrant and hydration station nor for Bare Cove Park Drive repaving, a sidewalk, and parking space restriping, which will be paid for in the town budget.
“This work will be done for the betterment of the park and for CAL use [and will also benefit users of the pickleball courts that were recently approved for the area],” Town Administrator Tom Mayo said. “The Rec Department has been asking for a light there for years, and we want to be sure that intersection is as safe as we can make it.”
Since the proposal’s inception, there has been a 9.6% reduction in the building’s size, bringing it to 25,950 square feet. There are 140 parking spots.
Value engineering to reduce the cost without impacting programming involved changes made to the design as a result of public comments and design efficiencies, and space removals and reductions, among others.
Joint hearing scheduled
A joint planning board/zoning board of appeals hearing on the project is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m.
Design updates include simplification of the structural grid and foundation systems, material palette refinements, mechanical system right-sizing, optimization of glazing quantities and performance, and parking area modifications.
“We’re trying to make things simpler and less expensive,” Wante said.
The general contractor bids are expected to be received by mid-April, with a town meeting vote on construction funding scheduled for April 27.
Owner’s Project Manager Dan Pallotta explained the prequalification process for bidders, which is underway.
When asked by Select Board Chair William Ramsey if he expects the current estimate to come down at all, Pallotta replied, “We’re working on that every day.”
Karen Johnson expressed concern about the tight timeframe of the project going before town meeting without enough time to socialize a firm estimate beforehand.
Mayo’s response was that the estimates are expected to be refined in advance of the town meeting vote and that any information not available in time to include it in the town meeting warrant will be included in a supplement.
Tricia Byrnes asked what the vacant former police headquarters couldn’t be renovated into an expanded senior center as earlier proposed.
Various locations considered
Ramsey explained that this subject has been addressed a number of times, and that the building committee after also considering various other locations didn’t consider doing so feasible due to parking and other issues, including the “significant costs to renovate [that space].”
Board member Julie Strehle explained that during a meeting in November, different location options were discussed and an explanation provided as to why the Bare Cove Drive site was the final choice.
Christine Smith asked in light of the significant tax increase property owners recently experienced in their latest bills, whether the full impact of the Foster School and new public safety building were included.
New Assistant Town Administrator for Finance Katy Dugan confirmed that the “borrowings for Foster and the public safety building are largely complete.”
Judy Sneath said she “is still very concerned about the size of the proposed CAL. We have no evidence that it will actually be [fully] used. Foster School isn’t being fully utilized by any stretch and the parking lot at the new public safety facility is often empty. The CAL seems to be the third in a series of underutilized buildings – leaving empty ones in their wake.”
Sneath also requested information about the extra costs involved with the water line and traffic light “because the Center for Active Living is clearly driving the need for those things.”
A Hersey Street resident commented that “the senior citizens need a home in this town. . . . A new senior center will be used – it won’t be underutilized.”
Peter Goldstein noted that at age 67, he’s part of the demographic that would potentially use the new senior center. However, he feels the project is unjustified in light of what he considers to be higher priorities.
“The schools still need upgrades and repairs and we need to maintain competitive salaries and benefits for town employees,” he said. “I don’t think the number of people who will use the [new senior center] justifies the expense.”
He suggested doing a less expensive renovation of the adjacent empty former police headquarters instead.
A calculator will be posted on the town website soon to assist residents in determining the impact the project would have on their property taxes if the related Town Meeting warrant article passes by a two-thirds vote. Subsequent to Town Meeting, there will be a ballot vote on the project at a special election if the warrant article passes – with more information to come.
For further details and presentations made at meetings, go to https://www.hingham-ma.gov/1080/Center-for-Active-Living-Building-Projec.