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 approximately $15 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 already 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 $10 million for the senior center.  The taxpayer impact is anticipated to be no more than $181 per household, annually, for the average household in Ayer. 

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.

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.