Scituate: Officials reject Senior Center proposal for Harbor Community Building

Scituate selectmen listen as seniors present their case for senior center.

Scituate Selectmen voted Tuesday night on a proposal to make the old Pier 44 building, also known as the Harbor Community Building, the home of a new senior center.

Seniors packed the selectmen’s meeting and despite gathering hundreds of petition signatures, their hopes were dashed after selectmen voted 4 to 1 to use the Harbor Community Building as a community center and not primarily as senior center.

The town purchased the building with Greenbush mitigation funds. Selectman Tony Vegnani said the purchase agreement does not allow the building to be used as a senior center.

“The building cannot be used as a senior center. The purchase agreement restricts it from being a senior center. So, the name of the building will not be a senior center. We’ve spoken with the MBTA again, after Ellen, (senior center advocate), said she had spoken with them and she said they told her they could do it. But they vehemently deny saying that to her and that is not what the building can be used for”, Vegnani explained.

Senior center advocate Ellen Bernardi said she’s disappointed in the selectmen’s vote.

“We just wanted the community building to be the home of the senior center and for the use of the community. I still believe that the original proposal that I gave, opens that option to anyone in the community. I have spoken to different departments and they’re all in favor of it. So, it’s a different agenda and it saddens me that that happens”, Bernardi said.

Selectmen pointed out that seniors can still continue to use the Harbor Community Building, for many of their programs.

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