For the Community of Hingham, For the Next 50+ Years
April 22, 2025 by Beth Rouleau, Council on Aging – Former Chair
Please support Article 15 to meet a long awaited milestone and advance the next phase of design. Vote YES to ensure an onward and informed path to Town Meeting 2026, at which time there will be a subsequent vote to approve the design and bonding for a Center for Active Living (CAL) at Bare Cove Park Drive.
Article 15 responds to 1) longtime recognition of inadequate space and features at the 30-year-old CAL; 2) unprecedented demographic shifts; 3) programmatic interests and diverse needs across generations; and 4) recognition of modernized Centers for Active Living as community focal points that foster health and wellness across the lifespan — through essential services, enriching indoor and outdoor programs, community collaboration, and connections across generations.
Starting from a young age, there are many destinations on the path of aging. For decades, Senior Centers have been recognized as a valued community resource for adults on the path of aging. Growth in the network of Senior Centers was sparked by funding made available by the enactment of the Older Americans Act in 1965. There are now more than 11,000 Centers throughout the country providing evidence-based programs that promote health and well-being. Over the years, in response to evolving programmatic interests, and research on the benefits of intergenerational engagement, many newly built centers have shifted from the traditional senior center model to a Community Center or Center for Active Living with emphasis on intergenerational programming. Many unchanged historic Centers, including Hingham’s CAL, are operating with constraints that are barriers to the development of essential services, wellness programs, and participation.
Hingham’s Center for Active Living, formerly the Senior Center, is at a challenging intersection of demographic shifts and inadequate space. It has been 54 years since the opening of Hingham’s first Senior Center on North St., and 28 years since the Senior Center relocated to Town Hall in 1997. Since 2011, the Center has operated from inadequate space with insufficient parking and outdated features. The need for a modernized Center has been recognized for close to 15 years. In 2023, the Senior Center was renamed the Center for Active Living (CAL) to reflect its mission of fostering wellness across the lifespan; and the longtime, closely held goal to address space constraints and advance plans for a modernized CAL. Article 15 brings the community of Hingham closer to that goal.
It’s an epic time of aging in Hingham, and across the country. In 2024 the youngest (of an estimated 75 million) baby boomers turned 60. By 2030, for the first time in the country’s history, the share of people over age 60 will outnumber the share under age 18. Many towns, including Hingham, have already reached this historic milestone. The share of residents age 60 and over nearly doubled from 17% in 1997 to 32% in 2025. Projections estimate that close to 40% of the community will be over age 60 by 2030.
It’s a pivotal time for community planning related to aging. A Modernized CAL will become an essential destination for Hingham, for the next 50+ years. Unprecedented demographic shifts; diverse needs and interests among multiple generations; and encouraging research on the correlation between purposeful engagement and improved physical, emotional, and cognitive health are driving innovation in the field of aging.
Senior Centers, the historic foundation of the aging services network, are being renamed, reimagined, and transformed into community focal points. Once dedicated to reactively addressing problems, modernized centers are incorporating programmatic and design elements to proactively promote health, wellness, and mutually rewarding collaboration and engagement across generations.
Article 15 is an essential milestone on a compelling and informed path. The site, size, and design of the proposed Center for Active Living were informed by:
- 15+ years of research & advocacy among Town leaders, CAL staff, Building Committee members, Council on Aging Members (COA), and Friends of the CAL(FOCAL).
- The CAL Building Committee. In 2020, the Building Committee was appointed with the charge to evaluate expansion
opportunities for the CAL at Town Hall. In 2023, the charge was expanded to include a site at Bare Cove Park Drive. In November 2024, informed by the feasibility study, expansion at the Town Hall site was ruled out and the Building Committee unanimously recommended Bare Cove Park Drive as the most preferred and feasible site for a modernized CAL. Subsequently, the Building Committee’s recommendation was supported by a majority of the Advisory Committee, and unanimously supported by the Select Board and Council on Aging. - Evaluations of programming and design concepts being incorporated in other newly designed Centers, including those in peer communities, where the development of modernized centers has fostered community synergy and robust levels of participations among residents.
- Community Needs Assessments conducted by the Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- Expertise, guidance, and the development of conceptual design plans obtained through the 2024 Feasibility Study led by EDM Studio Inc.
Please support the next phase of design and ensure an onward path to Town Meeting 2026. A modernized Center for Active Living at Bare Cove Park Drive is a transformative, not to be missed opportunity for the community of Hingham.
