I moved to Harvard center last year, and would like to offer a fresh perspective on the proposed senior center.
At first blush, spending $2.3 million to renovate and expand Hildreth House seems like it will hurt our tax bills, since even borrowed over 20 years it’s about $200,000 annually. But if you look a little deeper, this may be one of the smartest things we can do to slow the growth of taxes.
Before moving here, I lived in Bolton and served on many town boards. Like Harvard, most of Bolton’s taxes are spent on schools. One colorful Finance Committee member used to say that when your kids are in school your house is a drain on the town’s finances, but when your kids graduate you become a “donor home.” We wondered what we could do to hold onto our seniors.
Harvard has a lot of “donor homes.” Seniors live in more than 30 percent of Harvard’s houses, and many “over-50s” are right behind them. Each time a senior sells their home, and it’s purchased by a family with one student, our town’s expenses go up by the cost of educating that student, about $11,000 per year including all short- and long-term costs.
Being a senior can be lonely. If a more vibrant senior center entices just 18 households to linger in town, $11,000 per home adds up to about $200,000 per year—equal to the annual cost of the Hildreth improvements. If more than 18 linger, then improving Hildreth will help our taxes.
Some suggest moving the senior center to the old library. Would that be a better magnet to hold our seniors in town? Every survey says seniors prefer Hildreth, with its homey feel. Where would you rather be a senior?
I am not a senior, but hope to become one, as it beats the alternative. I support schools and have served on a school committee. I’m on the Harvard Historical Commission, but am not writing on their behalf. This is my opinion as a taxpayer and resident of the special place that is Harvard.
Ken Swanton
Fairbank Street
