At its annual planning meeting Aug. 23, the Council on Aging (COA) voted unanimously to request that the Capital Planning and Investment Committee include funding for Phase 2 of the Hildreth House renovation in fiscal 2019. Last year, the Board of Selectmen put a placeholder for Phase 2 on the capital plan for fiscal 2021. But with construction costs increasing annually and a possible kindergarten wing renovation on the horizon, COA members agreed that 2021 was too far out in the plan.
The group discussed two options: requesting consideration for fiscal 2018 or 2019. Board members expressed a desire to get the additional program space that Phase 2 would provide as soon as possible. The design includes an expansion of the dining room on the first floor and a new multipurpose room on the second floor, as well as a remodeled kitchen. But the selectmen are continuing to investigate building senior housing on Hildreth land and the possibility that a developer might contribute some or all of the funds necessary for Phase 2 as part of the housing deal. The Planning Board is working on a zoning overlay for senior housing at Hildreth, and the town will vote on the zoning change at Special Town Meeting in October. The outcome of that vote could affect the COA’s supporting arguments for funding Phase 2.
A new survey
Another event that could affect support for Phase 2 is the outcome of a survey that will be prepared by Selectwomen Lucy Wallace and Alice von Loesecke and COA members. The selectmen requested the survey to gauge interest in Hildreth House activities among the town’s over-60 population. Two weeks ago, the Friends of the Council on Aging, a fundraising group that was eager to start a capital campaign to raise funds for Phase 2, met with the selectmen seeking their support. But the selectmen tabled a Wallace motion for support, citing the need to see the survey results. A few days later, the Friends sent the selectmen a letter stating that they were suspending the capital campaign committee “until such time that we can be assured that Phase 2 can become a funding priority.”
The letter expressed frustration with the selectmen’s position, stating that “the need has been proven over and over again, and this requirement for yet another survey will cause another unnecessary delay.” The letter also cited the numerous projects that have been funded in the past 20 years, including the new Public Safety Building, the new library, a Bromfield addition, and the Town Hall renovation. “We respectfully submit that the seniors of Harvard and those of us who advocate for them have waited patiently ‘in line’ for long enough,” the letter stated. This week, Sharon Briggs, co-chairwoman of the Friends, reiterated their position at the COA annual planning meeting, saying that they will not proceed with fundraising until the selectmen support the project.
This will be the COA’s third request to fund Phase 2. Two years ago, it requested $2.7 million to fund the project in fiscal 2018. Last year, COA increased the request to $2.9 million because of higher construction costs and asked that it be delayed to fiscal 2019, given the expected disruption in COA functions this year while Phase 1 is under construction. During their capital plan review prior to Annual Town Meeting this year, the selectmen moved the project to fiscal 2021 with a placeholder figure of $2.5 million.
The amount of this most recent Phase 2 capital request will depend on a new estimate from A.M. Fogarty and Associates. Funds to conduct the new estimate, approved by the selectmen at their Aug. 9 meeting, will come from the Rantoul Trust. The deadline for submitting a capital request this year is Sept. 29.
