If there was any question in the minds of the Hildreth House Improvement Committee (HHIC) members on what Selectman Leo Blair might think of their renovation plans, those questions were soon answered.
“I’m dead set against this,” said Blair, after hearing the committee’s presentation before the Board of Selectmen on January 7.
The HHIC mrmbers had come before the board to provide what they hoped would be their final report on plans to renovate and expand Hildreth House, the town’s senior center, a former summer residence perched high above the Common. The Hildreth committee has voted to recommend that the project go forward this year and plans to submit an article to fund it at Annual Town Meeting this spring.
“[Hildreth House] feels like a home, and seniors really appreciate that. They don’t want an institutional building.”
—Lucy Wallace, selectwoman
Blair’s opposition drew support from fellow Selectman Ron Ricci, who labeled the project “too expensive,” but HHIC members rebutted the criticism, and their arguments were echoed by HHIC Chairwoman Connie Larrabee in an interview with the Press this week.
“This is the town senior center,” Larrabee said. “Lacking a plan for some other location, we are obligated to make this building safe and accessible.”
‘Hildreth House is a poor choice’
Blair opposes the project for several reasons. He said last Tuesday that the current location of the Hildreth House, on top of a hill, is a poor choice for a senior center. He said that because the building is a house with a center chimney and stairway, it would be difficult to expand. He said that the cost, currently estimated at $3.7 million, is enormous, and that problems with rock ledge would lead to unforeseen additional costs.
But his main argument was that the difficulties with Town Hall have created an environment in which a project like this would be a “real tough sell.” Taking his opposition a step further, Blair added, “I’m very concerned that the town is trending toward spending money on fixed assets. That’s going to take money away from programs.” The senior center should be a brand new building built at grade, he said.
Praise for the process, not the plan
Blair did praise the committee for doing “a phenomenal job of shepherding this process through.” “I love your method, and I love your diligence, and I love your self-reflection,” said Blair. “You’ve come to the wrong conclusion, but I really admire how you got there.” He also apologized to the committee for bringing up all of these points so late in the game, explaining to the committee that this was his first opportunity to comment on the project. At the previous HHIC update to the Board of Selectmen on July 30, 2013, Blair had no comment on the proposed renovation plans.
Selectman Ron Ricci weighed in, saying, “If it wasn’t so expensive, I’d support it. I really appreciate what everyone’s done, but it’s over the top.”
“You need a one-level facility 4,000 to 5,000 square feet, and a senior day care with a full service kitchen.”
—Leo Blair, selectman
Ricci questioned the committee about its fundraising and about the money requested from the Community Preservation Committee. The committee responded that the $200,000 it has requested from CPC would—if approved—be subtracted from the total amount requested from the town, as would any other funds raised for the project. A nonprofit organization, Friends of the Council on Aging, is the fundraising arm of the Council on Aging. A preliminary effort is under way to raise $500,000 for the project under the umbrella of the FCOA. Furnishings and appliances would also be funded by donations.
Selectman Stu Sklar asked the committee if they had considered other locations. “Our charge was Hildreth House,” answered HHIC member Ann Taylor. “Other locations were looked at in studies that were done before.” Selectwoman Lucy Wallace added “The studies that were done previously did look at other locations, including the old library. The recommendations were that, given the ongoing history of the Hildreth House and the unsuitable nature of other possible town-owned properties, this really was the best place. Plus, the seniors are really attached to that building and have strongly advocated for years that that building continue as their senior center. They just want it improved.”
What about
Bromfield House?
Given that the School Committee is talking about giving up Bromfield House, Sklar asked about the possibility of demolishing Bromfield House and building a new senior center in that location. Wallace observed that getting in and out of that site is not that safe during scholl drop-off and pick-up times. “A lot of senior trips leave in the morning around 8:30 or 9:00, and they’re often back around 3:00 in the afternoon, so you could be creating an unsafe traffic situation there,” said Wallace.
Wallace then raised the question of where school offices would go if a senior center replaced Bromfield House. Sklar responded that a dual-purpose building that could house both the senior center and the School Committee, but Wallace doubted that the Bromfield House corner lot was big enough for such a building and the necessary parking. Wallace went on to say that, although she is the liaison to the HHIC and as such has a certain bias, there is a “sense of urgency” to doing something about the senior center because of the town’s aging population.
Hildreth House is a very good senior center, she said, “because it feels like a home, and seniors really appreciate that. They don’t really want an institutional building.”
Not ideal, ‘but it is what it is’
Board of Selectman Chair Marie Sobalvarro gave her take on the plan. “I don’t think it’s an ideal location, but it is what it is, and it’s what we have. I’m in favor of putting it in front of the voters. We’re going to have to do it sooner or later. We have to maintain our assets.” She added that there was an important distinction between Hildreth House and Town Hall, which is that Hildreth House would be paid for by residents to serve residents.
HHIC members defended the location and the building, saying that the seniors like being a little bit away from everything else, and they like the feel of the building. Larrabee added, “The fact that it’s a house is not a drawback. I’ve been to a lot of senior centers, and some of them are really, really nice, but I’ve never been to one that has the feeling this one has. The people who are up there have made it what it is.”
Blair mentioned that the renovation wouldn’t provide room for senior day care, something that he believes is a developing trend in senior centers. “You need a one-level facility, 4,000 to 5,000 square feet, and a senior day care with a full service kitchen,” said Blair.
‘It’s a beautiful site’
A week after the meeting, the Press interviewed Connie Larrabee to get the current mood of the HHIC. “This is the town senior center,” said Larrabee. “Lacking a plan for some other location, we are obligated to make this building safe and accessible.” Currently, there’s no way for anyone with mobility issues to get to the second floor. Computer classes, a TV room, and offices where seniors can meet in private with office staff are all on the second floor. In addition, all but one entrance to the building have at least one step up, and some seniors need to be lifted up over those steps to go inside.
“It’s a beautiful site,” said Larrabee, addressing Blair’s objection to the location of the senior center. “One of our best events of the year is our summer barbecue, where we sit on the porch eating hamburgers and hot dogs while looking out over the town. There are walking trails on the property that we’d like to clear. You’re not going to find that anywhere else.” As far as ledge goes, the addition was designed to sit on top of the ledge. The committee does not anticipate any ‘unforeseen costs’ from the ledge, because it’s been known all along that the ledge is there. “One corner of the basement is currently sitting on ledge,” said Larrabee. And the fact that the building is a house is something that Larrabee sees as an advantage. “To me, it’s more welcoming and pleasant to be here than in a brand new center.”
HHIC members are concerned that the Hildreth House renovation is being likened to the Town Hall renovation. According to Larrabee, Hildreth House is not in the same shape as Town Hall. “It’s got a good foundation. The roof is good. It was soundly built by a very wealthy man.”
The programs are growing
“The programs are growing, the senior population is growing, and there is no other plan,” said Larrabee. According to the town Master Plan completed in 2012, Harvard’s population is aging, with an average median age of 47 in 2010, up from 41 in 2000. During those 10 years, the plan notes that the 65-74 age group represented the largest population increase, 73 percent. According to the COA, about half of residents over age 60 used COA services of one kind or another in 2013.
HHIC ready for next step
Where will the Hildreth House plan go from here? At a COA meeting on Jan. 13, the board voted unanimously to contact Town Administrator Tim Bragan and ask that an article be put on the Annual Town Meeting warrant requesting funding for design development and construction of the Hildreth House building project as planned. “We’re now at the end of the schematic design phase,” said Larrabee. “In the design development phase, we can make the kind of decisions that will allow us to come up with real costs.”
