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Second option may have arisen
By Mikaela Slaney
Thu May 24, 2007, 05:03 PM EDT
Until recently, Abington officials had been focusing their efforts on building the town’s first ever senior center building on a portion of the Griffin’s Dairy property on Pattison Street.
The proposal met with resistance from some residents in town, who wanted the land parcels to remain open space.
Both sides may have reason for relief this week as a new location may have surfaced.
The Flame of Fire Church congregation is looking to downsize, and their property at 441 Summer Street is on the market for sale.
The 1,300 square foot white building is two stories tall and sits on 11 acres of land situated next to a train line.
George Whiting, chairman of the Abington COA, said his board is still on the fence as to which property to pursue building on, adding “if there was a third possibility, we’d look at that with the same interest.”
Whiting said the council on aging would like to decide which property to pursue by June, and start construction after Town Meeting in the fall.
If they were to go forward with the church property, COA officials would likely use the current Flame of Fire Church building as it is. Were they to go forward with construction on the Griffin’s Dairy property, a new building would have to be constructed. The council on aging, which currently hosts activities at a few locations around town, considers this a benefit for Summer Street.
“We’re very interested (in the church property). It’s a wonderful sight,” said Mary Beth Lawton, the COA’s director. “It’s an existing building so it has potential. The beauty of this is it’s what we call a ‘turn key operation.’ We could walk in and within 30 days of filing papers, we could have a home.”
The church property is also a lot larger, with 11 acres to Griffin’s Dairy’s two. This may add to the property’s purchase price, but would eliminate costs associated with legal fees, the project may face if Abington officials were to move forward with the Griffin’s Dairy property.
“That would be an ongoing controversy that would potentially deplete funding,” Whiting said.
On Wednesday morning, COA representatives, and assistant town administrator Dori Jameison toured the church and its surrounding property, and had nothing but positive reviews.
A representative from the Town Manager’s office previously toured the facility and found it to be a “perfect” alternative to construction, according to a letter circulated by Town Manager Phillip Warren, Jr.
Jameison is to update Warren on the COA’s opinions of the site, and a proposal may come before the Abington Board of Selectmen. If the board approves, the purchase of the church property would appear on the Warrant of the next Town Meeting.
The new senior center is to be funded by a $1.8 million debt exclusion override of Proposition 2-1/2, which was approved at a special election in December.
To use that $1.8 million for the church property, residents would have to vote to adjust the use of the allocation for purchasing and outfitting an existing building, rather than the construction of a new one.
“When they voted for Pattison Street, they didn’t vote for Pattison Street so much as they voted to build a senior center. Where it is, is second,” Lawton said. “[Voters] said, ‘the seniors of this town deserve a senior center, and we’re going to make that happen.’”
Lawton added that the only changes needed for the church building would be updates in the kitchen. The Senior Center Fundraising Committee has already raised close to $300,000 for improvements, a figure Lawton said is well over what would be needed. When construction is completed, members of the fundraising committee will form a trustees committee, which would safeguard the senior center in the future.
Lawton said a new senior center would be available to an estimated 1,800 seniors currently living in the town. That number is expected to increase with up and coming Baby Boomers, she added.
“That’s a huge population right now,” she said, “and they’re going to be pushing that figure skyward. We’re planning for the future, not just for now.”
Most senior citizens in town are still unaware of the possibility of purchasing the church property, and the COA plans to circulate a press release to update them.
“What I like about it is we would be able to bring in programs that we haven’t been able to bring in the past such as adult day care,” Lawton said.
Lawton said she can envision having the next senior citizen Christmas party in the vast church building. She also hopes to have luncheons there three days per week. The Baptist Church is currently serving lunch for seniors one day per week, with about 30 people in attendance, she said.
The council on aging currently offers line dancing and fitness classes, which are held at various locations in the town.
“We would bring them all under one roof and more, because we would have the capacity to do that,” Lawton said.
There may also be a movie and popcorn program at the new center, which would take over the program currently being offered at the Abington Public Library. Lawton said this would be a good follow-up to the senior lunches, and would give seniors a reason to stay in the building.
Jim Dombrowski, a former Griffin's Dairy Study Committee member and a vocal opponent to development on Griffin Farm property, says the town purchased the Griffin’s Dairy site in 1998 for the purpose of open space. He said the Griffin barn and farmhouse has historic value.
The Griffin family purchased the property in 1825, reportedly built a house in 1830, and the barnyard between 1830 and 1850, although there is no documented proof. Dombrowski said the barn is made with post and beam construction, which uses wooden plugs instead of nails. The construction, Dombrowski said, dates back to the Romans, and here in New England dates back to pre-Colonial days.
Griffin’s Dairy land has also been under consideration for the location of the new Abington Middle School last winter.
The Flame of Fire congregation currently has a new Abington location in mind, but is not yet prepared to disclose information, as they are still under negotiations, said Fred Caruso, realtor with Trade Winds Company
