City of Methuen Master Plan

P UBLIC FACILITIES AND S ERVICES
The City has responsibly planned for the maintenance and creation of community facilities for several
years. Construction of its new elementary schools, renovation of and addition to the Nevins Library, a
variety of parks improvements, and projects such as the installation of period lighting along Broadway
all point to the City’s conscious effort to provide on-going care for its facilities.
Methuen’s growing population and emerging public demands require it to be proactive in its response to
growth. Existing facilities and services may need to be adjusted and adapted to meet code, upgrades in
technology, changes in available methods for increased efficiency and other improvements to the
provision of services. New services and facilities may also be needed to accommodate a growing elderly
population as well as other shifts in the demographics of the City including an increasingly ethnically
diverse population. The elderly population of Methuen is not only greater than that of the surrounding
communities, but is forecasted to grow, on a percent of total basis, more quickly than its neighbors.
Additionally, almost 20% of Methuen residents reported speaking a language other than English at
home and of the population five years and older, 11% are foreign-born 20 . Of these, more than one-third
(38.1%) were born somewhere in Latin America, another third (31.3%) were born in Asia, and less than
a third (21.1%) were born in Europe. Close to 10% of the population is now Latino and this percentage
is expected to continue to increase. The number of low-income residents is also increasing. These
trends in the population can be expected to affect services and facilities in a number of ways including
the need for additional space at the schools, to the language(s) in which services are provided.
Other services, such as police and fire may need updated facilities in the future. These changes will
impact the way in which services are provided, the buildings which house them, as well as their capital
needs, and therefore, their impact on the City’s budget.
The information presented is a compilation of a review of relevant previous studies, documents and
other sources. Additionally, for each facility and service, at least one “leadership interview” was
conducted (e.g. Police Chief, Superintendent of Schools, Director of the Library, Director of the Senior
Center, etc).
According to the City’s Assessing database, the City owns approximately 1,275 acres of land (529
parcels) which support public facilities, parks and conservation areas, and includes property taken
pursuant to tax title proceedings. Table 38 lists all Methuen-owned property which features a structure
on it.
20 U.S. Census 2000
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