(Jan. 20, 2026) – The Ayer Select Board voted this week to support the Ayer Office of Community & Economic Development in pursuing a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help fund construction of the new Senior Center project. Communities can seek up to $850,000 per project per year, the Community Development Program Manager said in response to a Select Board member’s question.
Voters approved a debt exclusion up to $11.55 million to help finance the Senior Center project, at both Special Town Meeting and Special Town Election last Fall. The senior center was also the number one project the community was interested in during outreach sessions and public hearings this past year, the program manager said. The $15.1 million project is proposed on town-owned land on Bishop Road.
Related to this, the development office asked the Select Board to approve its updated community development strategy (which they did with a 2-0 vote). The strategy is reviewed every few years when the town seeks CDBG grants, the program manager said.
The Senior Center project also came up earlier in the meeting, during pubic input when a member of the Ayer Council on Aging (COA) read a letter from the COA, thanking residents and town employees for supporting the project. You can watch on the APAC meeting video, starting at 2:41 min.
We are sharing the Ayer Senior Center project website, which offers more information.
Jan. 23: article updated to reflect the $850,000 grant figure that was shared.