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.