Select Board and Ad Comm review proposal for new Center for Active Living with CAL Building Committee

September 10, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer

The proposed new Center for Active Living adjacent to Bare Cove Park will be the subject of many discussions in the months leading up to next spring’s annual town meeting, with a focus on the size, construction and operating costs, space utilization, and other project details.

The CAL Building Committee met Tuesday in joint session with the Select Board and Advisory Committee to talk about the proposed building design and programming, with a focus on demographics, the architecture, the floor plan and building layout, a comparison of the existing and proposed buildings, and exterior and interior design renderings.

Select Board Chair William Ramsey noted that Advisory Committee members had submitted questions before the meeting and that operating cost estimates will be addressed soon, including additional staffing.

The most recently floated project estimate – not including furnishings or operating costs – is $34 million. Voters will have the final say at Town Meeting and the ballot box, because the project would be bonded.

Current center has outgrown space
Key to the discussions is the fact that the current center has outgrown its space at Town Hall while at the same time, Hingham’s older population is growing.

Currently almost 50 percent of the town’s citizens are over age 50, according to 2025 census data, while the share of Hingham residents over age 60 is projected to increase to 39 percent by 2035, including Linden Ponds residents.

The underlying premise is that the CAL is a vital resource, providing relief for those facing financial insecurity by offering many services at no or low cost to those on fixed incomes and other seniors.

In addition, research indicates the negative effects of isolation, with the CAL and other senior centers providing many opportunities for socialization, among many other benefits.

“It’s all about education, fitness, and food, which is where our seniors are at,” said CAL Director Jennifer Young.

The 86-page presentation by Chris Wante of EDM Studio and consultant Doug Gallow and followup comments, questions, and concerns lasted for more than three hours.

The size of the one-story project was recently scaled back by 10 percent – to 25,950 square feet.

The presentation featured room-by-room details, with commentary by Young.

As examples, there would be a full commercial kitchen, with separate space for the Meals on Wheels program; a cafe with lounge space where participants could grab a cup of coffee or smoothie between classes or when meeting with friends; and a classroom with a teaching kitchen that could be used for nutritional education and cooking classes, among other uses.

‘This is the dream right here’
The proposal also includes lounge space, cards/games and media rooms, conference, health/wellness, and shared work rooms, art, fitness, and exercise dance studios and outdoor space for gatherings, horticulture classes, a greenhouse, flower and vegetable garden, patios, Back River yoga, and cycling groups, among other offerings.

“This is the dream right here,” Young said.

Following the presentation, Ramsey said he would like the building committee to “make some reductions in the administrative area of the new building.” In addition, he said, “I and others are eagerly awaiting [an estimate of all] the costs associated with the proposal.”

Board member Liz Klein agreed, noting that “it’s hard to make informed decisions” without those figures. “I’m looking forward to continuing this discussion, including a traffic study at some point,” she said.

Select Board member Julie Strehle called the design “beautiful and thoughtful,” noting that she believes there will be engagement by more seniors with a new senior center. “I’ve seen [senior center] successes all over the South Shore, but we have to pay for it and get the project passed [by voters]” to bring the project to reality.

Council on Aging Chair Joe Nevins commented that “everyone in this room is getting older, not younger,” noting that when delayed, construction projects get more expensive over time.

He urged those present in the room to keep in mind, not just the costs associated with the project, but also the overall value to the town. “A big part of [the building committee’s job] will be balancing [the cost with the benefits to the community of such a project],” he said.

‘We share the concerns about money’
Building Committee Chair Tom Carey emphasized that the committee is very much aware of concerns about tax impacts of this potential project. “We share the money concerns and will meet the goal of a decent building at a price that’s acceptable to the town. The current space has been totally unsuitable for more than a decade.”

Carey went on to say the goal isn’t to build a “taj mahal but a building that will serve the needs of citizens between now and 2035 and hopefully even longer.”

Some advisory board members asked questions and voiced concerns related to building utilization, expected usage rates, whether the new building – if approved – would be sufficient to meet the needs of seniors 10 years from now, by which time the senior population is expected to greatly increase, and what a realistic amount is for citizens to support funding for the project at both Town Meeting and the ballot box; among others.

Advisory Committee member Brian Stack said “it looks like a great building,” and went on to note that “1,400 hundred folks live at Linden Ponds, [with many going there] specifically for the programming” and that about 500 residents live in assisted living facilities located in town, wondering what the utilization rate of a new CAL would be in light of that information.

“The folks in assisted living and those who are homebound need a different set of services and are, regrettably, not likely to go to a new center,” Stack said. “I’d like to work on what the likely utilization of [a new CAL would be] in the coming months and also reserve some funding for the 20 percent of the senior population who won’t be able to go there.”

Advisory Committee member David Leiphart had questions related to the “right sizing” of the building and increased staffing needs.

Safety concerns about entrance
In addition, he expressed concern about the location of the entrance being near the tricky Fort Hill Street intersection and in light of the new pickleball courts that will be built in the area and the nearby railroad crossing traffic light. “It will be completely unworkable – a disaster,” he said.

Mayo responded that the engineering department is working on solutions. “We know the existing design won’t work.”

Advisory Committee member Ben Burnham, who met with the Marshfield Senior Center director, reported that she said seniors from 20 different communities use that facility. “I think we will get a large number of Weymouth residents, where there isn’t a great senior facility,” he said. “Will out-of-town residents pay to come to ours?”

That’s a “fair question,” Young responded, noting that she has learned that 200 active Marshfield Senior Center members come from Hingham.

“We could expect similar numbers at our new facility,” she said.

At the same time, the Hingham CAL gives priority to residents age 60 and over and then other residents, with programs then open to registrations from non-residents as available. “We have residents of Hull, Scituate, Cohasset, and Weymouth come to the CAL to hang out with friends,” Young said.

Registration fees are charged for some classes, some higher for non-residents depending on the costs involved. Some programs are staffed by volunteers, which also helps keep costs down. There will be further discussion at a later time.

Resident Glenn Mangurian urged citizens to visit the current CAL to see what goes on there and also to visit the Marshfield Senior Center.

That said, he noted that the associated property tax impact “is what Town Meeting voters care about based on a 30-year bond.
“Some people might say, ‘That’s all the impact is? while others might say, ‘No way, we can’t afford to pay that.”

Tax calculator will be available
Mayo explained that an online tax calculator will be available at a later time for property owners to figure out the tax impacts.
Amy Farrell said tax impacts are one of the drivers affecting residents’ desire to age in place. “I’m looking forward to future conversations about the tax impacts not only related to [the CAL proposal] but also from other expected costs.”

Weymouth resident Linda DeAngelo, president of the Back River Watershed Association, urged town officials to move the location of the proposed new CAL out of concern for potential environmental impacts from the project, including to the Back River and “the vital estuary. This wonderful natural resource needs to be protected. It can’t be duplicated,” she said.

The presentation will be posted on the town website CAL link.

For more details, go to
https://www.hinghamanchor.com/exterior-building-and-site-design-for-proposed-new-center-for-active-living-fits-in-with-surrounding-park-land the-design-is-amazing/