We are updating and replacing our previous coverage from before Christmas.
The Ayer Housing Authority has entered into an agreement to manage the Groton Housing Authority properties, according to draft meeting minutes we requested from the Ayer Housing Authority. This came after the Groton Affordable Housing Trust reached out to the Ayer Housing Authority’s executive director earlier in 2025.
This topic appeared in the Groton Affordable Housing Trust meeting minutes from August 20th and Sept. 23rd. Update: we added the link to the August 20th meeting minutes on Dec. 29th at 3:30 pm per a reader’s suggestion.
On Oct. 30, 2025, the Groton Affordable Housing Trust met with the Ayer Housing Authority executive director at a public meeting and he provided an analysis of Groton’s properties and financial issues. There was discussion about how one of the mortgages has been paid.
A few days earlier, on October 22nd, the Ayer Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners had voted 3-0 to approve the management agreement with the Groton Housing Authority. One member was absent (Source: draft meeting minutes we requested from the Ayer Housing Authority and received via email on Dec. 23rd).
According to draft meeting minutes, the agreement with Groton had been executed by the time the commissioners met on Nov. 19th. Under this agreement, the Ayer Housing Authority will manage Groton’s operations through June 30, 2026, unless the authorities choose to extend.
Both Ayer and Groton have small housing authorities with fewer than 100 units. According to the Town of Groton website, the housing authority developed 27 housing units in 1990. As of 1997, the Groton Housing Authority had additional properties, including 34 units of housing for the elderly/disabled on Willow Road, 24 units at Winthrop Place and 8 condominiums on Brookfield Commons.
The Ayer Housing Authority currently manages units on Pond Street, Pleasant Street and Isaac Lane here in Ayer. Its administrative office is open from 9 am to 2 pm Monday through Friday.
According to the draft meeting minutes, the Ayer commissioners also voted 4-0 on Nov. 19th to approve an annual fee structure of approximately $45,900 with the Groton Housing Authority. This fee calculation is based on a worksheet from the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC). This budget will be used to pay the executive director and three others for their work on the Groton Housing Authority. Any unused funds will go into a management account.