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Road to Opening the Hopkinton Senior Center a bumpy one Ribbon Cutting on Thursday By Jennifer Prentiss
September 26, 2006 – When the ribbon is cut at the Senior Center at 10:00 a.m. on September 28, it will mark the end of a long and difficult process, and a significant effort by those involved with having the Senior Center built. Former Selectman Chairman Eric Sonnett knows the story, chapter and verse. “In the year 2000, the Senior Center Building Committee came up with a design with a budget of $2 million, based on the idea that the State of Massachusetts would donate a part of their land as a site for the Center,” said Mr. Sonnett. “The Housing Authority agreed to work toward that goal.” The plan for that particular plot of land behind Davis Road was to accommodate high-rise low income elderly housing, from 500 to 1000 units. As the Senior Center would be complementary to the elderly housing, the State agreed to consider donating part of the parcel of the land to hold the Senior Center. As a water supply would be needed for the Senior Center, the water mains were extended in a loop in that area, a necessary safeguard that was not charged to the Senior Center. Unfortunately, the State refused to provide the land.
“Hopkinton’s reputati At that point Sonnett and State Representative Paul Loscocco met with the State and assured them that they would be able to use the rest of the property as they had planned. Because Mr. Sonnett was a Water and Sewer Commissioner, the State agreed to grant use of the land. FULL STORY Two more times the State changed their decision and would not give the land, once because of access road problems, and another time because of parking problems. Twice more Mr. Sonnett and Rep. Loscocco went in and hashed out the problems. The deal with the State is a land lease for 100 years for one dollar, with an option for another 100 years for another dollar.
“So much time had passed at
this point, that the costs for the planned Senior Center were
over budget by a couple of
The Building Committee was able to scale down the Senior Center plan by removing the basement and the furnishings and some other small changes, lowering the cost by about $600,000. Still, the increased budget had to go before the Town Appropriations Committee, which disapproved of it. “There was a raucous town meeting. The project was going down,” described Mr. Sonnett. “I stood up and told the story of the first time I saw the Senior Center in the basement of the town hall. I said, 'This place is a dump.'” By the end of the dramatic town meeting, the project had been passed. At this point there were some other technical problems. The water main that led to the Senior Center was large enough to support the building, but would not support the indoor fire suppression sprinkler system. Another main had to be laid at the cost of $100,000, which was quickly approved at a Town Meeting. After much work and donations by community members, the Senior Center was completed and will be opened this week. “If there was ever a group of people that deserve this Center, it’s the seniors,” said Mr. Sonnett. “And the Senior Center Building Committee worked hard to make it happen.” “If there’s a hero in this story, it’s Paul Loscocco, he brought the State back to the table three times” stated Sonnett. “If Representative Loscocco hadn’t done what he did, the Senior Center would not have been built.” |
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on
was so bad, permit-wise, that the State didn’t trust us to use
part of the land and then allow them to use the rest as they
planned,” stated Mr. Sonnett.
million
dollars,” said Mr. Sonnett. He went back to tell the Building
Committee that “you can no longer afford the Taj Mahal. Go back
and get down to the basics because the town won’t accept it at
it’s present cost.”