Bill > H3405

This bill establishes a Senior Center Assistance Board within the executive office of housing and economic development to help cities and towns with the construction or renovation of senior centers, which are defined as any facility built, enlarged, or renovated to house a senior center. The board will consist of five members appointed by the governor, including representatives from the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging, Inc., and will be responsible for administering a grant program called the Senior Center Assistance Program. This program will award grants for "capital construction projects," meaning projects for the construction, enlargement, or renovation of a senior center, with grants covering up to 75% of total construction costs, excluding loan payments, and paid out over three years. Cities and towns can apply for these grants annually, and the board will establish criteria for approving applications, considering factors like the project's suitability, benefit to the town, the town's ability to maintain the facility, and reasonable expenses, while categorizing applications based on the town's population to avoid cross-competition for funding. Additionally, the bill creates a dedicated Senior Center Assistance Fund to hold appropriations, grants, gifts, and income from investments for the program, and it specifies that grant recipients cannot apply for another grant for the same building for 20 years, with exceptions for severe damage or destruction, and requires contractors to pay prevailing wages to employees working on these projects.