Reading Council on Aging Debates Divider as New Senior Center Tracks $2.5 Million Under Budget

READING -- May 11, 2026, Reading Council on Aging hears new senior center is on schedule and $2.5 million under budget, but debates room divider question. The Permanent Building Committee liaison reported at the May 11 meeting that construction at the new facility broke ground March 17 on a 499-day schedule; the liaison placed substantial completion at July 9, with a soft opening to follow in September. Despite the favorable budget position, the liaison asked the council to pause the divider discussion while town staff develop alternative small-program space options, drawing pushback from several members who argued using rooms designated for other purposes would reduce rather than increase available senior space. A Select Board member attending the meeting said "there's no reason not to take another vote" at the Permanent Building Committee given that the project "barely put a shovel in the ground." Separately, members flagged a roughly 10 percent decline in both program attendance and offerings over recent months and called for a formal presentation from the town treasurer and commissioner of trust funds to clarify how much money is available in accounts that include the Burbank fund, which currently holds approximately $388,000 against an original principal of about $225,000.

Correction (Nov. 3, 2026): An earlier version of this story said the Zumba classes ended because the instructor wanted at least 10 participants; that was the line dancing class, and the Zumba instructor chose not to move to the new registration system. It also said the council deferred the divider question, which members did not agree to do, called two votes unanimous that the recording does not count, credited a remark about leadership terms to the chair, and misstated two staff members' names or titles.