Thursday, May 11, 2000 Older Editions

New design, $387,000 raised Senior center update

By Neil Fater

The architect looking to turn Phillips Academy's Williams Hall into Andover's next senior center has schematic designs in hand and does not plan to demolish as much of the building as originally intended.

Pointing to the designs as a major step, fundraisers for the project are now saying their fundraising campaign should kick into a higher gear.

In fact, Council on Aging head Jeanne Madden characterized the fundraising campaign to date as just preliminary efforts.

Not including $500,000 approved as "seed money" by 1997 Town Meeting, the Friends of Andover Seniors fundraising group has raised $387,000 since 1996 to build a center expected to cost more than $4 million.

After receiving its first public update on the senior center project in several months Monday, selectmen offered encouragement to the Friends and Council on Aging.

"My sense is you really feel you have your feet under you," said Selectman Mary French. "You really feel you're on solid ground."

Earlier in the presentation, architect Henry Moss told selectmen his plan for the site was also to keep it on solid ground. Moss says he wants to level slopes on the site to eliminate any need for significant numbers of stairs or wheelchair ramps.

He says he will not demolish as much of the back of the building as he originally thought and will create two parking lots.

All of this is contingent on Phillips officials' approval of the designs. They are expected to eye Moss' work in mid-June.

As an older building, Williams Hall has a look that many senior centers want to imitate, but can't because of cost constraints, says Moss.

"We realized this house brought with it some great gifts," says Moss. "These are attributes that other senior centers we visit do not have."

He says he sees other towns "trying to fabricate... what this house brings with it."

Money matters

Before seniors can renovate Will Hall, however, they must raise the money to do so.

Including the $500,000 Town Meeting gift, fundraisers say they have collected $887,000, or 21 percent of the money they need.

"They have been for several months doing initial fundraising," says Council on Aging head Jeanne Madden. "They have come up with what I consider a fairly sizable amount, predesign."

Phil Tuminelli, project manager, said the first cost estimates for the renovation proposal have also come in. But when asked by Selectmen Chairman Brian Major if he could give selectmen an idea of the range of estimates, T did not do so.

"I think it's better for another time," he said.

"Then how do you know you're at 21 percent?" asked Selectman John Hess.

Supporters said they'd based the 21 percent on their traditional estimates that the renovation project will cost about $4.2 million.

Maureen Jandovitz, Council on Aging member, said the group has not revealed the cost estimates yet because, "We want to have our statistics more in line with what (the cost) really is in actuality."

Tuminelli told selectmen that Andover had spent more than $300,000 of the $500,000 appropriated by 1997 Town Meeting.