Chatham Special Town Meeting to Decide Senior Center Location

COURTESY OF THE CHATHAM COUNCIL ON AGING

CHATHAM – A special town meeting has been called by selectmen in Chatham to consider buying land for a new senior center.

The meeting will request funding for additional design work, which is estimated to cost around $200,000 and an article to purchase the property on 1610 Main Street.

Since there is no bonding for the land purchase, a ballot question or special election will not be needed.

Voters rejected a proposal of $6.6 million earlier this year to build the center on Middle Road.

If the land is purchased, the funds will be sought for construction at the annual spring town meeting in May.

Selectmen debated about whether or not to call the special town meeting, with the major point of contention being when would be the best time to convene it as holding it during the winter would mean residents who travel could potentially miss their chance to attend.

Selectmen Cory Metters said that he was in favor of building a new senior center, however he was not in favor of the special town meeting.

“I believe things like this should be done at our annual town meeting in general, but specifically these decision, understanding the complexity and the divisiveness of these topics,” Metters said.

“To be blunt about this I think it has a better opportunity to pass at a May town meeting than a special town meeting.”

Board member Dean Nicastro also was opposed to having the special town meeting in December or January.

Nicastro noted that a project of this magnitude should not be taken up during winter time.

Another board member, Peter Cocolis disagreed with Metters and Nicastro and was in favor of the winter special town meeting.

“We should try and get the warrant going and go to a town meeting as quickly as possible,” Cocolis said.  

“If we don’t then we could be behind the curve.”

 Selectmen Jeffrey Dykens agreed with Cocolis and said that the board has been discussing the center for the last five years.

After a motion by Dykens, the board voted 3-2 to call the special town meeting on Monday, January 13^th 2020.

Metters and Nicastro voted against the special meeting.

The meeting will likely also include unrelated adjustments to the current year’s budget and possibly a discussion on an article to ratify a new contract with the Chatham Municipal Employees Association.