Senior Center Building Committee

General Responsibilities and Duties

The Committee was established by vote of the Select Board on September 12, 2023. It consists of seven (7) voting members including the COA Board Chair, the COA Director and a member of the Select Board. The 4 additional voting members shall be Town residents and appointed by the Select Board. Residents, particularly those with backgrounds in engineering, architecture and building construction are encouraged to apply for these positions. Additional experience in grant writing and/or fund-raising processes will be helpful. The Town Administrator will serve as an Ex-Officio non-voting member. 

The Committee shall review and use the plan from the 2023 Senior Center Feasibility Study Report as its primary reference. Working from the dedicated funds allocated through the Estate of David Parsons, the Committee shall investigate and solicit additional sources of funding for this project.

For a full set of responsibilities regarding land acquisition, architectural design and project management please click on the following link:

Committee Charge

Final Site Selection- 117-125 College Highway

When recommending 89 Clark Street last April, the former Senior Center Building Feasibility Committee understood that the property would present some challenges, but it was clear after the Public Forum in March 2023 that our community preferred that location as the home of the future Senior Center.

The new Building Committee had its first meeting in January 2024. Since that time, the focus has been on conducting further due diligence on that property as recommended by Abacus Architects + Planners. That due diligence has included a review of the land survey and soil study as well as undertaking a successful perc test, a title search and most recently, a wetlands delineation. While it has been known that the land was wet, particularly towards the front along Clark St., it is only now that the wetlands have been mapped. This has unfortunately revealed that the protected wetlands are more extensive than originally shown on various GIS maps and the amount of actual contiguous buildable area for the center, its septic and leach field, as well as required parking spaces, is not sufficient for what is needed without significantly disturbing the adjacent wetlands. Therefore, we regrettably decided to no longer pursue what would have otherwise been an ideal site for the senior center.

The Senior Center Building Committee reviewed the feasibility study again and re-confirmed that most locations previously considered have too many issues to be viable. At the time that the Feasibility Study was prepared, the 117-125 College Highway parcel was being considered for private development, had insufficient acreage available, and it wasn’t clear where a new Senior Center could be sited. With the possibility of the Town acquiring the entire parcel of 54 acres, this location needed to be looked at more closely. Members of the Committee walked the property at the end of May, accompanied by a member of the Planning Board with land use expertise. The site visit was helpful to visualize a new Senior Center on this property and members were in agreement that this parcel appears to be the best option since the 89 Clark Street property is no longer viable. The Committee informed the Select Board of that decision and requested 4 or 5 acres be reserved for the building of the Senior Center.

The Town held a successful debt exclusion vote on June 25, 2024 to purchase the entire College Highway parcel to be the future home of the Public Safety Building, the Senior Center and likely affordable housing or other municipal purposes.

Original Preferred Site - 89 Clark St.

• Soil Report-89 Clark St.

• Perc Test - February 2024

Reports

• Southampton Final Senior Center Feasibility Report

• Senior Center Feasibility Study Public Input Session Meeting video – March 1, 2023
• Survey Results from Public Input on New Senior Center
• New Senior Center Presentation – 1-12-2023 Senior Center Feasibility Committee Meeting

Members of Committee

Select Board Liaison - Chris Fowles