The Town of Needham Senior Center board discussed and revised its capital budget priorities as the townwide submission was due the following day, agreeing to keep most facility projects in the plan but to remove or delay a proposed $215,000 roof-deck upgrade.

Board members and staff said the remaining requests — a renovated fitness room, a game room, a kitchen upgrade and a handicap-accessible rear entrance — should be the near-term focus. Tim (staff member) described the roof deck plan as “nice” but told the board it could be achieved at lower cost through phased improvements and temporary shading, and recommended making higher-priority requests first.

Why it matters: Senior-center programs and daily operations rely on both capital improvements (space and equipment) and operating funds for staff. Board members expressed concern that asking for the full roof-deck appropriation now would jeopardize funding for more urgent repairs and equipment replacements.

The board heard that staff had prepared two fitness-equipment wish lists after consulting vendors; one was roughly $60,000 and the other about $125,000. Members said those totals are beyond near-term capacity and agreed to pursue phased purchases, refurbished or donated equipment, and targeted fundraising through the Friends of the Senior Center. Tim said the center would “chip away” at the list and use operating and Friends’ funds for incremental purchases.

Board members also flagged operating shortfalls: two dishwashers and an ice machine recently failed, and there is no dedicated line in the operating budget to cover mid-year equipment breakdowns. Members proposed building modest contingency funding into future operating budgets to avoid service interruptions.

Saturday hours were discussed as a pilot once a month to test demand; the board agreed to explore a pilot and quantify staffing and custodial costs before making a recurring request to the town.

Ending: Board members asked staff to keep the roof-deck item on the long-range plan (so it can move forward in future capital cycles) but to reallocate the near-term $215,000 ask to projects with higher immediate return for center users. The meeting concluded after the board approved the minutes from Sept. 11 and moved to adjourn.

Votes at a glance

Approve minutes of Sept. 11 — Approved by voice vote; individual tallies not specified in transcript.

Motion to adjourn — Approved by voice vote; individual tallies not specified in transcript.