Senior center may be taking steps forward
By Karen Mann JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT
potential future homes for the Westminster Senior Center, each group is now working on their next step.

For the Council on Aging, that means forming a building committee. For state Rep. Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden), that means finding available money to pay for the building. For selectmen, that means meeting with a housing consultant.

"What will we be able to do in the building aspect? I think the housing agent will be beneficial in this," said Selectman Nicholas Hay.

Selectmen met with a housing consultant from Gagnier- Hicks Associates during their regular meeting Wednesday night, which occured after press time.

"They will define how to proceed," said Town Coordinator Karen Murphy.

Two different ideas have been floating around town for a potential new location for the town's senior center. Currently, the senior's use space at the American Legion on Main Street because they do not have their own facility.

"The seniors deserve and would like a senior center," said Hay.

The first idea, which seems to be losing support, is using the old town hall on Bacon Street as the new senior center.

"I am against the senior center going in the old town hall," said Hay.

"We toured the old town hall, it is just not adequate," said Sue Fisher, the director of the COA.

She believes the COA needs a new building, so that activity space can be located one floor, to accommodate their needs.

This new building could be located on 69 West Main St., a piece of property that was purchased by the town recently.

"At the time, the vision for the piece of land was to put in a senior housing facility," said Town Planner Alicia Altieri. "When we brought it to town meeting, there was also talk about creating a senior center."

Altieri said although she has not been involved in this new proposal, she would definitely work with the housing consultant and COA to put together a project for the site. The selectmen are trying to build two buildings for senior housing on the property, which would resemble the existing senior housing (the Wellington Complex) in town.

"The parcel is large enough for a senior center and there is an opportunity to put both on that piece of land," said Altieri.

Members of the COA have drawn blueprints for the proposed center at 69 West Main St.

"We asked the Council on Aging for ideas so that we can incorporate them. The seniors have everything they want on a list," said Hay.

Murphy said the general agreement is that the senior center should go on the Main Street property, but that town officials want to get the housing on the lot squared away first.

A request for proposal is being drafted, according to Murphy, to develop senior housing on the lot.

"We need to know what direction to take with the RPF," said Murphy. "We can offer it through a firm that does subsidized housing, or a private developer."

Hay said meeting with the housing consultant would help selectmen determine who has worked on these types of projects before and whom they should work with for future aspects of the project,

Murphy said looking into the different federal and state-funding programs available is important.

Fisher agrees, which is why the COA invited Evangelidis to their meeting last week.

"We wanted to see what was available for funding, we asked Lew, he is working on it, to see what is available," Fisher said.

The COA has no timeline in place, but will form a building committee next, made up of members from the Planning Board, Advisory Board, and others, to see what the next steps are.

"We do owe it to our seniors to help out, they deserve a place to go," said Hay.