Hingham Select Board Previews Senior Center Costs Ahead of Tuesday Capital Estimate

HINGHAM — September 25, 2025 — Hingham officials project roughly $100,000 in new annual operating costs for a proposed Center for Active Living, with full construction figures due Tuesday. Select Board member Katie Dugan chaired the September 25 joint session with the Advisory Committee — filling in for absent Chair Bill Ramsey and member Julie Strehle — as HCAL Director Jennifer presented a detailed utilization plan modeled on Marshfield's expanded senior center, which now serves nearly triple Hingham's current 1,425 active members. Town Administrator Tom Mayo confirmed the $100,000 estimate covers one new maintenance worker, health insurance, supplies, and alarm monitoring, but excludes utilities. The center's programming budget has run at zero dollars for at least six and a half years, funded entirely through fees, a state formula grant of approximately $105,000 annually, donations, and volunteers. A building committee member cited UMass Donahue Institute studies from 2013 and 2022 and a state healthy-aging report placing Hingham among the worst-performing communities in the Commonwealth on 14 or more health indicators, arguing the project is data-driven rather than department-driven.