Ayer Senior Center Clears Planning Board, Draws 123 Pre-Qualification Bids

AYER -- June 24, 2026, Ayer's Senior Center Building Committee cleared its Planning Board site-plan approval and received 123 contractor pre-qualification responses, including 14 general contractors, at its June 24 meeting. The Planning Board's signed decision includes a unanimous waiver allowing parking behind the building and a cooperative review condition for the Park Street-Bishop Road intersection, while the stormwater management permit was approved without objection. The project's environmental consultant reported that a final MEPA certification is expected September 14, 2026, with the owner's project manager describing a plan to go out to bid as early as the last week of August and receive bids in the third or fourth week of September. The committee approved a vendor invoice packet totaling $105,675.50, while deferring resolution of a confusing police-detail billing gap to the July 16 meeting. A municipal ADA grant of $244,000 toward an elevator has been submitted to the state, and the Friends of the Senior Center capital campaign has surpassed 20 percent of its goal before its formal public launch.