Politics & Government

Dedham Seniors Pass on Avery, Suitor Still Needed

The Avery Re-Use Committee will meet Tuesday to continue discussing feasible uses for the High Street building.

Dedham seniors have turned down the current as a site of a new senior center – and will look to land at the Endicott Estate as a future home.

The Avery Re-Use Committee is attempting to find a suitor for the 1921 building that will become vacant in the spring, and the debate is continuing Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

The committee has a deadline of the end of the year - set by Town Administrator William Keegan - to establish a plan for a permanent occupant.

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Council on Aging is considering locations in Dedham for a new senior center, and was up for the current Avery School, but COA chair Leanne Jasset told Dedham Patch that the site would not work for the COA’s clients.

“We just felt all the research we’ve done over the decades, it wouldn’t meet our needs,” she said in a recent phone interview.

Find out what's happening in Dedhamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Avery School’s position on a hill, lack of parking and non-existent green space doesn’t measure up to what seniors want, Jasset said.

A survey conducted this year by the COA laid out what more than 1,000 seniors are looking for inside a senior center, and COA members concluded that to accommodate seniors’ needs.

Chiefly, the COA is looking for an area for a walking path and for gardening.

That space, Jasset said, could be a barn on the land at the . A privately funded feasibility study is underway for that building, Jasset said.

“I know the critics are out there, and the naysayers […] we need to do the best we can for our seniors,” Jasset said.

Renovations to the building would come from a mix of private and public funding, the chair said.

“We know what it takes to get the right fit for what our seniors today and down the road need,” said Jasset.

Keegan, Dedham’s town administrator, acknowledged that an addition to the barn could be on the table.

Currently, the town stores some maintenance equipment in the barn and the town would have to find a new space for the equipment, Keegan said.

Despite the rejection by the COA, the Avery Re-Use Committee is still tossing around a few options including:

  • Private/public partnership
  • Community center
  • Art studio space
  • 55+ housing

Selectman Paul Reynolds, who also serves on the Re-Use committee, adds a community center would still include services and activities for seniors.

“The good news is that a senior center and community center aren't mutually exclusive. The great thing about the community center is that it will be a comfortable, engaging, inviting home to the entire community  - young and old,” Reynolds said.

With the COA passing on Avery, they’ll join the likes of the police and fire departments that also declined consideration.

“The most pressing municipal infrastructure needs are being crossed off the list as options for Avery reuse,” said Reynolds.

The school will need to be brought into Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and other substantial upgrades that have town officials and seniors looking for alternatives.

“[A site] needs to be a good fit for what our needs are, and the Avery School isn’t,” Jasset said.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here