FAQ

Ayer, like much of the country, is aging.  More than 25% of Ayer residents are over age 60.  Nearly 40% of adults in Ayer are over age 60.  There are more older adults in Ayer than there are children in the school system.  The “graying” of Ayer will continue for several decades, so the Council on Aging/Senior Center needs a more suitable space to address the diverse needs of our older adults.

A thriving senior center will help Ayer’s older adults stay independent by providing a supportive community as they age.  Senior Centers provide low-cost meals, transportation, health education and screening, fitness classes, and a variety of social, educational, and recreational programs.

These programs help older adults stay physically fit, and provide opportunities to socialize and avoid the perils of loneliness and isolation.  Senior centers also offer programs to engage the mind and opportunities to volunteer.  They are a single destination for vital social services that address food insecurity, health insurance coverage, housing, and financial hardships associated with fixed income.

Caring for the older adults of our community is the right thing to do.  The programs offered help older adults stay healthy and independent longer; delay or better manage the onset of chronic disease; and experience improvements in their physical, social, emotional, mental, and economic well-being.  Healthy older adults stay in their homes longer, which creates a financial advantage/balance for Town finances.  The Town of Ayer should be proud of the way it invests in its people.  We’ve invested in many other groups and facilities over time – now is the time to invest in older adults.

The Ayer Senior Center is currently housed in the basement of the Ayer Housing Authority on Pond St.  The 1,700sq f space has served older adults since the 1980s.  It is inadequate for our current and future needs:

  • Not enough parking
  • Not ADA compliant
  • Not enough program space
  • Not enough office space
  • No private meeting space
  • Rented building, hard to find
  • Lacks a commericial kitchen

The proposed senior center has a total project cost of $15.1 million dollars. The Town of Ayer has demonstrated their support for this project via use of UDAG and Capital Stabilization funds to reduce the impact to the taxpayers (subject to Select Board and Town Meeting approvals, respectively).  The Committee has also secured $377,000 in grant funds to support the project to this point.  At an upcoming Town Meeting, voters will be asked to borrow no more than $11.5 million for the senior center.  The target is to borrow $10M, but the warrant article will read $11.5M in an effort to create a contingency for the project to move forward even if the expected grants are not awarded.  The taxpayer impact for the $10M borrow is anticipated to be no more than $143 per household, annually, for the average household in Ayer (based on the current tax rate of $11.96 per $1,000 in value and $550,000 as the median Ayer residential home value).  If the $11.5M borrow is needed, the tax impact would be $165 per household, annually. 

If you’d like to see the cost breakdown for the $15.1M project cost, please visit the Town of Ayer website here.

Operational costs associated with the new senior center were estimated by the Town Facilities Director and Senior Center Director.  The current senior center budget is approx. $250,000 per year and includes staff, services, programs, supplies, and rent.  This is 0.7% of the total Town Budget.  The Facilities Director estimated $108,000 annually for the operations and maintenance of the building, including utilities, routine maintenance, permits/inspections, custodial services, and custodial supplies.  Additionally, the Senior Center Director anticipates hiring one additional full-time staff member, and an increases in supplies and services totaling $75,000.  The total estimated omnibus budget increase is $183,000.  Therefore, the new Senior Center budget is estimated to be $435,000, which is 1.2% of the total Town budget.

The proposed senior center is approximately 13,000 square feet, on two levels. 

Senior centers need a variety of flexible spaces to allow for a diversity of programming that matches the diversity of what it means to be an older adults.  People in their 60s often have different goals and interests than people in their 70s, 80s, 90s.  Take exercise as an example.  Some older adults are interested in dance-based programs like hip-hop or line dancing.  Some are interested in strength training.  Some need balance training or chair-based exercise.  Others prefer stretching, yoga, tai chi, or Qi Gong.  Others need specialized fitness classes geared towards surgery prep or rehab, condition-specific programs such as Parkinson’s Disease.  It requires significant space to offer these amenities. 

The proposed senior center was designed using evidence-based practices:

  • The Massachusetts Executive Office of Aging and Independence (AGE) recommends  5-6
    sq ft per older adult, based on US Census. For Ayer’s 2,200 older adults, TODAY, that
    is 11,000 – 13,200 sq ft. For the 3,135 older adults in Ayer projected by 2030, that’s
    15,675 – 18,810 sq ft.
  • More than a dozen Towns in MA who recently built senior centers told us their
    buildings were already too small.
  • Catlin Architecture, one of the most experienced architects in this sector,
    recommends building just above the AGE recommendations.
  • Nearly 50 older adults attended a public input session when this effort began in 2019
    and said these are the features they want.
  • Ayer’s Ph.D-trained Gerontologist and COA Director recommends this size building.

The primary purpose of the building is to be a senior center during the normal workday hours (including some evening hours).  Intergenerational programs are a part of a modern senior center.  Additionally, this building will be a resource for broader use, if the Town wishes.  For example, community organizations could rent out the space for a nominal fee, after hours.  Town Boards and Committees could meet in the space.  Large community events may be able to reserve the multi-purpose room as a rain location.  The large generator could allow the senior center to be used as a heating/cooling station during inclement weather.

Attend an upcoming Public Information Session:

 – Monday, September 15th at 7:00pm at Town Hall (Great Hall; In-Person Only)

– Saturday, September 20th at 10:00am at the Senior Center (18 Pond Street; In-Person and Zoom)

– Wednesday, October 1st at 10:00am at the Ayer Library (In-Person and Zoom)

– Thursday, October 16th at at 7:00pm at Ayer-Shirley High School; In-Person and Zoom)

**Zoom ID 375-414-6055**

Transportation is Available; Call the Senior Center at (978) 772-8260 to reserve a ride.

 

Visit the Town of Ayer Senior Center Site Selection and Building Committee website

     https://www.ayer.ma.us/senior-center-site-selectionbuilding-committee  

Visit the Town of Ayer Senior Center website

     https://www.ayer.ma.us/council-aging-senior-center

Follow the Senior Center on Facebook

Follow the Friends of the Ayer Senior Center on Facebook 

If you’d like to support the proposed senior center, there are many way to help:

  • Talk to your friends and neighbors, especially those that are younger than you.  Tell them what the senior center means to you, or what it could do for you.
  • Join the Friends of the Ayer Senior Center, a 501c3 organization dedicated to supporting senior center programs and services, including the proposed new building.  You can donate your time, talent, and treasures to help reduce the cost of the building.  Check out the Friends on Facebook or email them at FriendsOfTheAyerSeniorCenter@gmail.com