New Senior Center Will Not Be Built On Park Land: Mayor

NEWTON, MA — City officials say Albemarle Field near the edge of Nonantum and West Newton has been taken off the table as the next site for the new senior center. The new center won't be at that park, or any of Newton's parks, she said. The site, once at the top of the list, is no longer being considered. This comes after residents pushed back for months circulating two online petitions since the fall.

"We heard loud and clear that placing the building on park/recreation land made many, many people uncomfortable," the mayor announced Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the office confirmed that in addition to taking 19 of the 24 proposed sites off the table because they were situated on park or green space, no other parks will be considered.

The Working Group recommended to the mayor that Albemarle and all parks and green space be taken off the list of locations being considered for the center, according to the mayor.

The growing population of people older than 60 in Newton is outpacing the capacity at the senior center on Walnut Street, say officials. The building, repurposed in 1993 from a library, is hard for people in wheelchairs or with mobility issues to navigate, say those who use it. And unlike many senior centers in the area, it doesn't have a gym or enough space. And because the old building is historic it can't be torn down or renovated significantly enough to give them the space they need, say senior center officials.
Enter NewCAL — or the Newton Center for Active Living — the fancy, "age-friendly" name for the proposed center. The idea, years in the making, is that although the focus will be on seniors, everyone will be welcome. The project is expected to cost about $16 million.

"Newton needs an improved senior center, but the proposed NewCAL siting at Albemarle sets a dangerous precedent for all of our parks," reads a petition Cedar Pruit posted in the fall in an effort to preserve parks in the Garden City. She argued the site wasn't centrally located, parking is already scarce and it could negatively impact Cheesecake Brook.

Thousands of people signed a separate change.org petition that Daniel Jackson posted calling on the mayor to remove all parks from the list of consideration, calling parks Newton's greatest resources.

"As my second-grader said tonight, 'Where's the Hooray cake?' Indeed!," said Pruitt, of PreserveNewtonParks, upon hearing the news.

The city has said from the beginning that the plan would include both Senior Services and Parks and Recreation and Culture Departments.

The tentative plan is to build a building that is more than triple the size of the center today. The plan is for a 37,000 square-foot building, including a 10,000 square-foot gymnasium and 27,000 square-feet of other spaces. It will house 13 multi-purpose activity rooms of different sizes available for classes, recreation, a library and reading room, art, dining, performance, and function space. There will also be a kitchen and café.

NewCAL will also house several offices for providing services to seniors including a health room, social work space, and senior program volunteer-led space.

In the past year a working group was put together and an initial list of 145 possible sites has been winnowed to 24 (across 10 villages) for the facility that meet criteria laid out by the community. The village with the most suggested sites was Newton Centre, including Old Cold Springs Park, New Cold Springs Park, Newton Center Field House- Tyler Terrace, Weeks Park, Newton Center Playground and Ward Park.

To the chagrin of conservationists, 19 of the 24 proposed sites were on park land. Advocates for Cold Springs Park petitioned the city not to consider using any part of the park.

What's next?

The city staff took another look at the list of possible sites over the holidays, according to the mayor.

The next meeting to discuss possibilities, including the Newton Centre triangle parking lot, and "a number of other potential sites," will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16. at the Ed Center at 100 Walnut Street.

Previously:

Newton Residents Push Back On Senior Center At Albemarle ...

Newton Eyes 6 Sites For New Senior Center

Newton Senior Center Update: Mayor Fuller

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).