Wilmington Select Board Signs Warrant For Nov. 19 Special Town Meeting

WILMINGTON, MA — At its Tuesday meeting, the Wilmington Select Board signed the warrant for next month's Special Town Meeting.

The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. on Nov. 19 at Wilmington High School's Joanne M. Benton Auditorium, located at 159 Church Street.

The two main articles in the warrant to be voted on during the Special Town Meeting concern funding for a new Senior Center and funding for a new Town Hall and School Administration Building.

Article 2 calls for the town to vote to appropriate $17.3 million to the Town Manager in consultation with the Senior Center Building Committee for the purpose of constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Senior Center, including site preparation and design costs.

The Senior Center would be located on Main Street, adjacent to St. Dorothy's.

The project includes a transfer of $6 million from the Capital Stabilization Fund and the borrowing of $11.25 million.

The Senior Center Building Committee has highlighted key details about the project on the town website.

The committee said the new center is necessary because 30 percent of the adult population of Wilmington is over the age of 60, and the town's over-60 population is expected to increase by over 200 percent by 2030.

The current Buzzell Senior Center is just 8,300 square feet, it lacks usable space for program needs and the building's operating systems are well past their intended useful life, the committee said.

The proposed Senior Center meanwhile, would be 18,000 square feet, have increased parking availability, outdoor recreation areas and it would feature an accessible building design so that all seniors could benefit from Elderly Services.

"The Buzzell Senior Center is woefully inadequate to meet the growing needs of the senior population," the committee said in a statement. "Doing nothing continues the restrictions on programming and services by the Department of Elderly Services. Taking no action will only lead to increased future building costs."

Article 2 calls for the town to vote to appropriate $36.9 million to be expended by the Building Committee for the purpose of constructing, originally equipping and furnishing a new Town Hall/School Administration Building, including site preparation and design costs.

The Town Hall/School Admin Building would be located at 140 Middlesex Ave.

The project includes a transfer of $12 from Free Cash and the borrowing of $24.89 million.

The Town Hall-School Admin Building Committee has highlighted key details about the project on the town website.

The current Town Hall has been located in the former Glen Road School since 1984, which was meant to be a temporary location, the committee said. The facility features just 20,000 square feet of space and lacks adequate meeting and storage space, according to the committee.

Meanwhile, the Wilmington Public Schools administrative offices currently are housed in Roman House, a 4,498-square-foot former family home, which is not designed to function as administrative office space. The committee calls the setup "unsustainable."

The lack of space has forced the school administration to be dispersed throughout various buildings, which has affected efficient operations.

The proposed new building, the committee said, would be 42,400 square feet and feature a large after-hours meeting space and a designated secure storage area. The building would be designed for accessibility by Wilmington citizens and Town Hall and School Administration staff.

The building would allow the administration to keep its records in one location, which would improve efficiency, the committee said.

"Taking no action will only lead to increased future building costs," the Town Hall-School Admin Building Committee said in a statement.