History

To support to seniors (60+) in the community, the Council on Aging was established by a vote at the Duxbury Annual Town Meeting in 1984.  It started as a part-time department focusing its efforts on providing service to homebound seniors in the areas of information, transportation, and food service.  Operations were conducted from a small office, first located in the basement of the Town Hall and then the Girl Scout House.  A small group of citizens organized and formed the Friends of the Council on Aging.  They, in turn, marshaled a fundraising effort and purchased a bus that enabled seniors to shop and travel to doctor’s appointments.  This was the first of many fundraising activities that have been organized by the Friends.

In 1993, the Duxbury Council on Aging accepted the offer of space in the Lower Alden School, which led to the creation of the first Senior Center.  With increased space, the Duxbury Senior Center was able to expand the series available to seniors.

In 1994, planning for a permanent home for the Senior Center began.

In 1996, the Town voted to create and hire a seasoned professional to fill the Director position.

In 1997, during the Annual Town Meeting, the Council on Aging received approval of their budget, which led to the design and construction of a new state of the art Senior Center.  At that time, the Friends of the Council on Aging pledged that if the town built the facility, they would furnish it.  The capital campaign began shortly after the Town Meeting and close to $300,000 was pledged by citizens and local business.  The Friends are proud to report that all pledges from this campaign were fulfilled.

In January 1999, the new Center was opened and ready to meet the diverse and complex needs of the growing senior population.

In 2009, we were accredited by the National Institute of Senior Centers, and in 2014, we were accredited for a second time.

In 2016, a sub-committee of the COA board was established to research and prepare a feasibility study to document the need for additional space.  In a detailed report, the committee provided statistics from the Donahue Institute estimating that 40% of the Duxbury’s residents will be 60 by 2030 and that additional square footage was needed to provide excellent and essential programs that are vital to healthy aging.

In March 2017, the Annual Town Meeting voted YES to investing $185,000 to seek architectural and schematic drawings for a 3,500 square foot addition with an approximate cost of $1.9 million dollars. 

Currently, the Duxbury Senior Center building committee is working with Steffian Bradley to develop architectural drawings and quotes that will be presented at the 2018 Town Meeting.