Selectmen Approve New Senior Center Name

The building is expected to open in October 2013.

Needham's new senior center has a name. Selectmen voted Tuesday evening, Sept. 18 to approve the Council on Aging Board's proposal to name the new building at Hillside Avenue and West Street "The Center at the Heights." The name is a nod to the building's location near the Needham Heights Commuter Rail Station. The absence of the word "senior" in the title also could encourage residents who don't like the label to come enjoy the new facility, proponent Steve Cadigan said at a meeting last week. Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the name. While he supported the name, Selectman Matt Borrelli suggested that the Council on Aging Board consider dedicating the building to a past or present Needham resident—"a patriarch or matriarch of the …

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Name Proposed for New Senior Center

Fundraising efforts continue with an event scheduled Oct. 17 at Needham Golf Club.

The new senior center is rapidly taking shape, as workers plug away at the two-story building, to be located at Hillside Avenue and West Street. Now representatives from the Needham Council on Aging have proposed a name for the new building: The Center at Needham Heights. “We listened to a lot of people’s ideas, and the consensus was to leave the ‘senior center’ out of it, because everyone’s probably going to call it that anyway,” said Steve Cadigan, a member of the Friends of the Needham Elderly. The name refers to the location of the new building and also might help attract those members of the community who don’t consider themselves “seniors,” Cadigan said. Selectmen are expected to vote on the name at their next meeting. The building …

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Town Manager Clears Up Senior Center Question

Residents have called asking about the location of the senior center and MBTA parking on the property at Hillside Avenue and West Street.

After receiving several inquiries about construction at the site of the new senior center, Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick spoke briefly about the project during Tuesday night's selectmen's meeting. Fitzpatrick said that several people had called her office asking about excavation work being done on the south side of the lot and wondering if the building had been moved to that side. The senior center location remains the same as it was on original plans, Fitzpatrick said, located more to the north end of the site, facing Hillside Avenue, with the south end of the lot being reserved for MBTA parking. The excavation is part of basic preparation work required before building the foundation of the building, she added. Once that work is completed…

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Photo Gallery: Senior Center Groundbreaking

Officials celebrated the start of construction for the long-awaited town building.

Needham Breaks Ground on New Senior Center

State and local officials, volunteers, seniors and others from around town gathered on May 3 for a ceremony marking the start of a long anticipated construction project.

A little rain and mud didn’t keep people from coming to see the first ceremonial shovel of soil lifted on the site of the Senior Center Thursday morning. More than 50 people—including state officials, selectmen, Senior Center staff and members of the Council on Aging Board, Friends of the Needham Elderly and the former Needham Senior Center Exploratory Committee—stood on the edge of the former MBTA lot at the corner of Hillside Avenue and West Street at 9 a.m. to celebrate the start of a construction project that has been about 20 years in the making. “I think it’s a wonderful testimony to how excited everyone is, to see how many people showed up on a very nasty day and how many people walked over, and that people took time out of their …

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Vocal Support Concert to Benefit New Senior Center

Proceeds from Needham High School's annual a cappella event on May 11 will help purchase a piano for the under-construction town building.

The Needham High School Friends of Music Vocal Support Benefit Concert will be held on Friday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the NHS auditorium. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Vocal Support is a benefit concert, featuring a cappella singing, at the high school and college levels and beyond, raising money for a good cause. The singers of the Needham High School a cappella groups have decided to donate the proceeds from this year’s concert toward a piano for the new Senior Center. In addition to the three NHS a cappella groups, this year’s concert will feature long-standing Boston fave pro group Five O’Clock Shadow. The Pollard Middle School Glee Club will be mike testers for the event. Auditorium doors will open at …

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What's New at the Senior Center: Friends' Trip to RI

A weekly look at the Needham COA's new and upcoming events and programs.

  Submitted by Sherry Jackson, Associate Director Join the Friends of the Needham Elderly on Wednesday, May 23 on a tour of magnificent estates, gardens and the historic waterfront of Bristol, RI, plus a luncheon at the Atlantic Beach Club. Discover Blithewood Mansion, a majestic English Style Manor with one of the finest garden estates in New England on a self-guided tour. Explore the history and delights of the Great House and Estate of Linden Plane on the guided tour.  Enjoy a special guided adventure of Bristol, RI, America's most patriotic town, highlighting historic waterfront, downtown, Colt Park and more. Plus, a delicious luncheon at the Atlantic Beach Club—all inclusive for only $72 including tips. The bus will depart at 9 a.m. …

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What's New at the Senior Center: Groundbreaking Set!

A weekly look at the Needham COA's new and upcoming events and programs.

Submitted by Sherry Jackson, Associate Director The Needham Council on Aging will host a groundbreaking at the location of the new senior center at West Street and Hillside Avenue on Thursday, May 3. Last week, a fence was put around the property, and a temporary parking area for MBTA customers has been set up on the north side of the lot. Colantonio Inc. of Holliston has been picked as the project's general contractor. The $8.5 million project involves construction of a 20,000-square-foot, two-story building that will house Council on Aging offices and provide space for meetings, classes and events. The building will replace the department’s current space in the basement of the Stephen Palmer Center on Pickering Street. Additional …

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What's New at the Senior Center: Charlie Card Event

A look at some of the events and classes offered this month by the Council on Aging.

By Sherry Jackson, Associate Director If you are age 65 and up, or a person with a disability, you qualify for an MBTA reduced fare Charlie Card ID. This card offers reduced fares when riding the MBTA trains or buses. On Thursday, April 19, between 10 a.m. and noon, the Needham Council on Aging will hold an MBTA Senior Citizen or (T.A.P.) Charlie Card Pass Event, providing the cards for individuals who bring ID with proof of age. COA staff will take your photograph, and your new card will be delivered to you by mail. The card is free of charge. For more information, contact the MBTA office at 617-222-5438. The event will be held at the Stephen Palmer Senior Center. There is no sign-up or fee. THIS WEEK AND NEXT These programs are going on …

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