Watertown panel picks EDM Studio, 7-1

Senior Center Building Committee · Meeting of October 20, 2026

WATERTOWN — The Watertown Senior Center Building Committee voted 7-1 to hire EDM Studio over rival firm BH+A to run the town's senior center feasibility study. Member Anthony Palomba cast the lone no vote, saying he remained "more comfortable" with BH+A and questioning whether subconsultant Doug Gallo, who has roughly 50 other clients, would stay closely engaged with Watertown's project. EDM Studio's team, which includes subconsultants Lifespan Design Studio and SLR, pitched a design process built on roughly 75 age-specific details, including curbless parking lots, since "a third of older adults over the age of 85 can't step up and down a single curb." Director of Public Buildings Denise Moroney and committee member Lisa Feltner pressed both finalists on cost control and site-versus-program sequencing before the vote.

Vertex, the committee's project manager, will now negotiate a contract with EDM Studio for town attorneys to review.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Routine Business
• BH+A Presentation: Programming, Models and Site Strategy
• EDM Studio Presentation: Accessibility, Engagement and Site Analysis
• Committee Deliberation and Vote
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,121 words

Source: the Senior Center Building Committee meeting of October 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.