A look inside the $7.7M Brockton Senior Center renovation
BROCKTON — Move over, bingo. A $7.7 million transformation of Brockton's Senior Center aims to support the city's growing population of elders.
The Mary Cruise Kennedy Senior Center has been a home away from home for older Brocktonians since 2001. But even ardent boosters will tell you it wasn't big enough. By 2040, demographic experts at UMass-Boston say about 1 in 5 Brocktonians will be age 60 or older. That's a 5% greater share than in 2010.
During renovations, the senior center and Brockton Council on Aging are operating out of the Shaw's Center. When the 10 Father Kenney Way facility reopens, it stands to be a major step forward for Brockton seniors. "This building is going to be spectacular when it's done," said Dan Pallotta, the city's point person for all its projects funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
For starters, the senior center will no longer be small for a city of Brockton's size. Thanks to green space that was left in front of the center for expansion, the project will add 4,000 square feet to the original 7,333 square-foot center. "The building's got good bones," Pallotta said during a tour of the construction site in February. "It's just tired. [Government buildings] tire over the years because they get used."
Bigger kitchen, more room for phys ed
Crews have demolished the interior down to the studs. Because the renovation replaces more than 30% of the building, the whole structure has to brought up to current building codes, Pallotta said. Highlights of the renovation include a bigger kitchen, more bathrooms, room for physical education classes and lots of tech.
"We ripped out all the inefficient space that was cool back in the 80s and 90s. It's not cool anymore," said Pallotta, who has managed public construction and renovation projects for decades. "Senior centers today are really different than they were back when this was built."
Pallotta's firm highlights two senior centers it built from scratch in Rockland and Kingston.
'The buzz is out there'
Pallotta said Mayor Robert F. Sullivan insisted that the revamped design maximize the number of seniors the center can serve. Attracting seniors to take advantage of the new center will be a primary goal, the Council on Aging Director Janice Fitzgerald told city council members in late November 2023.
"The buzz is out there about the new building," Fitzgerald said at the time.
A UMass-Boston survey found that many residents who could benefit from the center aren't doing so. For the 60-69 age bracket, 75% of respondents said they'd never used its programs or services. The city mailed 5,000 surveys to residents 60 and older. Brockton received 1,443 responses.
The new senior center is on track to open in November 2024, Pallotta said Friday.
Senior Center renovation cost
Brockton's Senior Center has been gutted down to the studs and will be expanded by 4,000 square feet. Here's how the $7,669,403 project breaks down:
Contractor: Page Construction - $6,463,737
Designer: BH+A - $504,630
Furniture, fixtures and equipment - $280,000
Testing - $25,000
Moving - $19,773
Contingencies - $376,263
Source: City of Brockton, as of Feb. 5, 2024. Includes state earmark of $1,000,000.
Wondering about a vacant building, construction site or other sign of change in or near Brockton? I’m veteran local reporter Chris Helms and I’ll help you find out. Email your questions and tips to CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on X at @HelmsNews.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton Senior Center gets $7.7M upgrade using federal, state dollars
