The Town of Ayer will hold a Special Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4th for residents to vote on a debt exclusion for the proposed senior center project. This would allow for $11.55 million in borrowing, resulting in a $165 increase in the average tax bill for a 25-year borrowing term. The election will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at Ayer Town Hall.
Special Town Meeting approved the debt exclusion last Monday, Oct. 27th in a voice vote, which the Town Moderator called a 2/3 majority. There was a high voter turnout. The Lowell Sun quoted the Town Clerk as saying 287 voters checked in – 4.5 percent of the town’s registered voters – and that this was one of the highest turnouts she had seen in her 12 years in her post.
This turnout followed weeks of information sessions on the project and seeing blue yard signs go up on lawns across town. The Friends of the Ayer Senior Center were successful in their outreach, with many older residents among the Town Meeting audience.
The www.ayerseniorcenter.com website notes more than 25 percent of Ayer residents are over age 60 and nearly 40 percent of adults in Ayer are over age 60.
While some residents spoke in favor of the project, some were critical and concerned about the cost and large size. See our coverage or look for the Ayer Public Access Channel video. The Select Board had also been critical of the size in recent months and asked the Senior Center Site Selection and Building Committee to reduce the size, which they did.
The 13,000 square foot, two-story project has an estimated cost of $15.1 million. Article 10 asked voters to appropriate $13.55 million by transferring $2 million in from the Capital Stabilization Fund and authorize $11.55 million in borrowing through a debt exclusion.
Long Process
This has been an extended process that began in 2019 with a public feedback session. Another senior center plan proposed for West Main Street was tabled at Special Town Meeting in October 2020 due mostly to residents raising environmental concerns. More recently, the Senior Center Site Selection and Building Committee (we’ll call this the Senior Center Building Committee) conducted an assessment of over 50 town-owned properties and issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from private landowners without success (Source: June 2024 memo). The project is proposed for town-owned land on Bishop Road so there are no land acquisition costs.
The Impact on Taxpayers
The town management has advised it requested $11.55 million in case Ayer doesn’t receive a Community Development Block Grant in this climate of federal funding cuts. The town has consistently received this grant and if it comes through, the proposed borrow is estimated at about $10 million.
For the $11.55 million debt exclusion, the average residential tax bill will increase an estimated $165 per year for a 25-year borrowing term, according to the Special Town Meeting warrant. For $10 million, the average residential tax bill will increase an estimated $143 per year for a 25-year borrowing term.
Prior to Town Meeting, the Select Board voted to utilize up to $1 million in the town’s federal UDAG funds to fund the project, a move which would save an estimated $16 on the average residential tax bill, according to the town management’s presentation at the Oct. 21st meeting. These funds will be repaid through at future Town Meetings on a to-be-determined schedule, based in part on how much in Free Cash certifications the town receives from the state each year.
You can vote in the Special Town Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4th between noon and 8 p.m. at Ayer Town Hall. The last day to request an absentee ballot in person is Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 at noon. To learn more about, visit the town’s 2025 elections web page.
For Reference:
Learn about the Senior Center Proposal: www.ayerseniorcenter.com.
Town Meeting presentation on the numbers, starts at 1:32 min or so of the Town Meeting video.
Our Recent Coverage:
Town Meeting Approves Senior Center; $11.55 Million Debt Exclusion Heads to Ballot Election Next Week, Oct. 27, 2025
Select Board Authorizes Use of $1 Million in UDAG Funds for the Senior Center Project, Oct. 22, 2025