i am opposed to this deal the way it sits right now and the reason being is we have no vision of whats going to be inside this 20,000 sq ft senior center. for 5 million i and the citizens of salem would like to know whats inside door number 1. the mayor and her developer have not shown us that so my vote if i were a city councilor would be a hearty NO !

those are 4 year old plans . things change and so do building plans. lets see the current 2013 building plans or are we buying a cracker jack palace?

Tonight's the night the Mayor gets to showcase how poorly the City takes care of its buildings. Thank God the City doesn't own Chestnut Street or the House of Seven Gables.

I live in Gallows Hill, walking distance to this site. I am really curious to know how the intersection of Boston, Bridge and Proctor streets is going to be addressed. As it currently stands, there is no safe way to cross these streets without backtracking to the crosswalk near Federal Street.Still, I would not consider even these cross walks safe as drivers come roaring down Boston Street to make the light. Finding a solution and making this area more pedestrian friendly should be of concern. I wish I could be there tonight to share this, but if anyone feels the same and would like to voice this I would be forever grateful!

i have been to the senior center numerous times to visit the salem veterans agent on the third floor and a few times have had to walk up the stairs with my bad knees. your not telling me any thing i dont know. no i donot like the location of the new coa but i cant do anything about that and have said my peace about it. now i want the very absolute best salem can get for its money. lets hope the greedy keep their hands in their own pockets.

Of course the meeting will be crowded, there's no other way to witness the proceedings prior to the measure goes to vote before the Board thanks to our Mayor supressing public discourse on the matter by moving the meeting to a location without a live television feed. Honestly, senior center issue aside, we should be outraged with the liberties this individual takes with the rules whenever it suits her own personal or political agenda. I thought Stan the man played fast and loose with the rules - Driscoll is a walking ethics violation.

Thanks for all the great feedback.

So,people will crowd the place to listen to the dictator say " this is the only place we can build this center". Her routine is old and never changes. The seniors don't deserve to be located in that traffic mess that stinks on hot days when the tide is out. I for one won't bother going. Let's see if the council does the right thing.

If the Administration's "all or nothing" methods feel familar, remember back to how the threats to close the Horace Mann school were linked to the Council's passage of the hotel and meals tax. Nothing's ever straight forward. There's always a catch. This time the developer won't be able to go through with the project unless the City comes up with $4.9 million first. How many people would buy a condo unit if the developer said that you had to buy your unit first before he would build the rest of them? You'd probably say, "boy that guys got to have a lot of confidence in the viability of the project if that's the way he plans to build it." Or maybe you'd give him the $4.9 million and hope that all things turned out bright and beautiful. That's pretty much where the Mayor has put the Council and the Seniors are caught in the crossfire. Not a very nice way to play the game.

Those who oppose this oppose the mayor on every issue. She will never do anything right in their eyes. If you know how to do things better then run against her. I don't agree with her on every issue and question some of her tactics but this is not what that is about. The site selection process was completed and it was her choice from three recommended locations. It will never be good enough for all. The conspiracy theorists will still be paranoid of the hidden agenda. The meeting last night probably had more participation than any of the other televised council meetings making the fact it wasn't televised a ridiculous argument. Bottom line its a building desperately needed in the community. Pretty simple concept if you ask me.

I get the "all or nothing" argument about her. I don't disagree but this has been going on way before her. Should she be like all the other mayors and kick the can down the road. Look at Salvo. He has a lot to say now but what did he do for the seniors of Salem when he sat in that chair. I give her credit for forcing the issue to get it done. Everyone will never be happy and 100% of the people will not agree on a location no matter where it is.

What she has or has not done in the past is not the issue. The fact is a new senior center is needed. No one can dispute that From what I've seen there is nothing so terrible about this plan that it shouldn't go forward. Is it not perfect or the best plan who knows? My opinion, from what I have seen, is the people who oppose it only oppose it because they are against her and I think they are two totally separate things. As someone who works with seniors the bickering is ridiculous. Time is not on their side and how many stated so last night. Reality is many won't see even this plan come to light. Everyone thinks she "forced" this issue but this is a 30 year old issue. How many mayors (Salvo included) have passed the buck. For those who think she is "forcing" the issue, should another 30 years go by before a new center is built. Someone had to stand up and say its time to do this. I have no issue with the building location or the financing plan. I think the seniors deserve it. Whether it is Driscoll or someone else coming up with the plan.

Everything developed in Salem is most likely on a contaminated site. The Cumming Center in Beverly was on a contaminated site. Our children were playing in contaminated parks and on soccer fields. Those were cleaned up to satisfactory standards. There are the tools and technology to clean up these sites. Should they sit vacant forever? Would you rather put an elementary school there? And no I don't believe they necessarily deserve "waterfront" property. I believe if the center is built where proposed it will improve the view for everyone.

Thanks Flora! Glad to see calmer heads prevailed tonight!