Billerica COA Subcommittee Launches Community Campaign for New Senior Center

BILLERICA — March 20, 2026 — Billerica's Council on Aging subcommittee held its second community forum of March to build support for a new senior center estimated at $20 million. Subcommittee chair Marguerite Massey organized the fact-finding session, which drew a large crowd of residents citing overcrowded classes, a kitchen too small to simultaneously serve breakfast and Meals on Wheels, and fitness programs that regularly turn people away. Select Board and COA Board member Mike Rosa warned that a spring Town Meeting warrant article filed by Selectman Darius O'Connor could place a key four-acre parcel adjacent to Cider Mill — described by Rosa as the "prime location" for a new building — under permanent Article 97 conservation restrictions. Recreation Commission Chairman John Bartlett, whose panel secured a new facility after a sustained public campaign, urged seniors to become Town Meeting members, noting a capital appropriation would require a two-thirds supermajority. The subcommittee's next two conversations, focused on desired building features, are scheduled for April 10 and April 28.