Mendon Council on Aging Advances Four-Site Senior Center Cost Analysis

Council on Aging · Meeting of May 28, 2026

Mendon's Council on Aging heard a detailed four-site cost analysis for a new senior and community center, with estimated total project costs ranging from $10.3 million to $15.2 million depending on location. Town Administrator Jeremy Stoll and architect David Pollack of Abacus Architects and Planners presented the study, funded through remaining American Rescue Plan Act dollars, after two debt-exclusion ballot questions for a 3 North Avenue facility failed. Hard construction costs were estimated at just under $8 million for the existing Providence Street senior center site, just under $10 million adjacent to the public library, and just under $12 million at the North Avenue greenfield, with Pollack noting that "75 percent of that incremental cost difference, each time, is site costs, not buildings." Morrison Drive was ruled out due to unpermitted access and fire department objections.

Stoll said a sharp drop in town debt service around fiscal 2030-2031 could support roughly $500,000 per year in new borrowing, and urged the council to deliver a site recommendation to the Select Board before fall town meeting. The board also received an update on a pending AARP grant of approximately $15,000 for a senior digital literacy program to be run with student volunteers and local IT companies.

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Source: the Council on Aging meeting of May 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.