Town Turns Down $200K Senior Center, But Not Seniors

Town meeting voters will be asked to decide the fate of a warrant article that could bring resolution to a long-sought need.

The Hampton Budget Committee has pumped the brakes, though, on a $200,000 petitioned warrant article that would turn the retail space in the Rite Aid Plaza into a senior center.

The article, submitted by Maurice Friedman, has received unanimous disapproval from the Hampton Board of Selectmen and the town's Budget Committee, and it failed to get support Tuesday night during the committee's annual public hearing for the budget and town meeting warrant. 

"There are times when plans are not accepted that there are [valid] needs that need to be re-planned with [more involved discussions]," said Eileen Latimer, the budget committee chairwoman. "I do not think we are turning down our seniors [by rejecting this plan]. We are turning down this plan."

Friedman, a former budget committee member, has worked in partnership with others to give Hampton and its Senior Club a senior or community center for over a decade. Among those efforts are failed petitioned warrant articles in 2007 and 2008 that sought $150,000 to convert the now-demolished old town hall for the cause.

The article, No. 49 on the 49-article 2014 town meeting warrant, received little discussion before the budget committee voted not to recommend it earlier this month, in part because Friedman wasn't present to provide details and background information about the article's request.

Friedman said Tuesday that the $200,000 would cover the cost of a four-year lease of the 358 Lafayette Road storefront, as well as cover the cost of staffing the center and cleaning it for that time period. 

Those numbers were based on conversations Friedman had with experienced realtors and Hampton Recreation Director Dyana Martin.

Friedman said many surrounding communities, including Seabrook and Dover, have thriving senior centers and dedicated spaces for their programs. He said that begs the question, "Why is it so different in Hampton?"

"The concept of this warrant article is to bring this issue to the people, get some focus on it and hopefully get some discussion," said Friedman. "Selectmen were pretty much against it, but that wasn't enough to stop me [from going forward with the article]."

Fred Rice, a resident and Republican state representative, said the town and many residents have "tried and tried and tried to get a center," but he said this plan isn't the right one for Hampton because it isn't fully developed.

"To just grab something in the middle of a commercial parking lot because it's there [isn't the best way to create a senior and community center]," said Rice. "This isn't better than any other plan."

The rest of the special money warrant articles for both the town and Hampton School District were also discussed Tuesday.

The articles and the budgets will now go to their respective deliberative sessions; the town deliberative session will take place at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Winnacunnet High School auditorium, while the Hampton School District deliberative session will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 4, in the Hampton Academy cafeteria.

The town and school elections and the annual warrant article voting period for each entity will take between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, in the Winnacunnet High School dining hall.