SEEKONK - In the latest chapter of Seekonk’s ongoing community and senior center saga, Town Administrator Michael Carroll said last Wednesday the best proposal for a new facility may not be one in back of town hall as recently proposed.

Instead, the newest set of plans on the table calls for building a 6,500-square-foot addition attached to the back of town hall. Over the last couple of months, Mr. Carroll has been meeting with a group of residents who have knowledge of the construction business, including zoning board of appeals member and private contractor Gary Sagar and planning board chairman Neal Abelson, among others. The goal of these meetings, Mr. Carroll said, was to see how the town could best proceed forward on a new community and senior center project after residents narrowly approved a non-binding, advisory ballot question last April.

The question, which passed 879 in favor to 843 against, asked residents if they would be interested in spending up to $3.5 million of retiring debt for infrastructure improvements around town. This ballot measure came only a few months after residents defeated a 10,000 square foot, $5.1 million community and senior center proposal, the location of which had been planned behind but not affixed to town hall.

Under this most recent proposal, however, Mr. Carroll said a 6,500-square-foot addition to town hall should be enough to accommodate the town’s rising senior population and its council on aging and human services departments.

In addition to meeting with local contractors and construction experts, Mr. Carroll said he had a representative from the town’s capital improvement committee meet with human services department employees to gauge how much space is needed to alleviate the current cramped conditions at 320 Pleasant St., the current home from the council on aging and human services department.

Mr. Carroll said the 6,500-square-feet would be enough to house the necessary offices, a community room, a kitchen and at least one meeting room. By adding onto town hall, Mr. Carroll also said the project avoids any zoning issues because it is not new construction. He added that since a majority of senior programs take place during the day, the meeting rooms would be open at night for other community programs, like those sponsored by the recreation committee.

Inside town hall, Mr. Carroll said the construction could additionally serve to re-organize some departments (like the planner and building inspector who deal with developmental issues) to make Seekonk’s center of government easier to navigate for residents.

Like the advisory ballot question asked, Mr. Carroll said the plan to fund the project going forward is for is not to exceed debt runoff that is expected to come over the next several years, preventing any hike in taxes to pay for construction.

But not everyone is convinced 6,500-square-feet will be enough.

Christine Allen, a town resident who served on a committee for the previous senior center proposal, said the town should ready itself for the spike in baby boomers who will be needing services for years to come.

“Build it right the first time,” she said.

Similarly, Jan Tabor, a case worker at human services, said that while she was happy the board of selectmen was keeping the project alive, 6,500-square-feet is a “very sad state.” She said the 10,000-square-foot mark is truly what’s needed.

“That’s what we need,” Ms. Tabor said. “If not, we’ll be coming back years later.”

In response, Mr. Carroll said that while 6,500-square-feet might not be a “palace,” the proposal is an attempt to put something before voters that they would “likely” approve.

Currently, there are no architectural drawings for the proposal, which is still in its infancy. But there are funds available that could be used to pay for these renderings. Over the last couple of town meetings, residents have approved a total of roughly $150,000 in funds for roof repairs at town hall. Mr. Carroll said that using these funds to repair the town hall roof immediately wouldn’t be practical if residents approved the addition and a portion of the roof had to be renovated anyway.

Mr. Carroll said he hopes to have specifications on the project with a specific cost ready for the next spring town meeting.