Needham Council on Aging votes to close Senior Center up to 10 days for renovation

NEEDHAM -- June 11, 2026, Needham's Council on Aging authorizes closing the Center at the Heights for up to 10 business days starting June 26 as a major six-month renovation gets underway June 29. The board voted unanimously to give center staff discretion over the exact closure window, with a projected reopening no later than July 8 depending on demolition progress. The renovation will simultaneously overhaul the kitchen, fitness room, game room, vestibule, and a new handicap-accessible rear entrance, with a contractual completion deadline of December 31, 2026 and an estimated cost within the town meeting appropriation. In a separate development, the board learned that Springwell, the regional aging services provider, will no longer allow congregate meals to be used for home delivery, effective July 1, cutting off roughly 40 Needham seniors who rely on the arrangement. Director Tim proposed a contract with Needham Public Schools to prepare packaged meals at an estimated annual cost of approximately $100,000, noting that a $325.4 million Pollard Middle School debt exclusion would limit competing bids for town funding. The board also received a report that the center's SHINE Medicare counseling program served 600 Needham clients during last fall's open enrollment period and is training seven new volunteers to bring the regional counselor pool above 80.