Newton City Council Approves NewCAL Senior Center Plans

NEWTON, MA — The Newton City Council voted on August 8 to approve $19.5 million in funding toward the constriction of a new Center for Active Living (NewCAL) to replace the current Senior Center at 345 Walnut Street in Newtonville.

According to Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, the city is on track to break ground next year and plans to open the facility in 2024.

"When I gave my Inaugural Address on January 1, 2018, I said, 'Working together, let’s make Newton an even better place for our older residents. They are the ones who built this great city, funded the school system with their tax dollars, and laid the foundation for the Newton we all love. I will launch a feasibility study this year for a top-notch Senior Center with a rich, all-encompassing program. Working together, we will make it happen,’” Fuller said in a community update.

"Working together, we made it happen."

The NewCAL plans have been met with both support and disapproval since the beginning, with some residents showing their overwhelming support for the project and others saying the city could have done better at protecting the historical building that houses the current Senior Center and finding a more suitable site.

The city will now continue to fine tune plans for NewCAL, with the next community meeting scheduled for Thursday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m. To register in advance for the meeting, click here.