nothin New Haven Independent | Cosgrove Takes First Steps on Senior Center

Cosgrove Takes First Steps on Senior Center

File Photo

Ramp at Canoe Brook Senior Center

Branford is moving forward with a plan to assess the needs of senior citizens and the need for a new senior center.

First Selectman James Cosgrove announced Thursday that he hired the Branford architectural firm of Arbonies King Vlock PC to conduct a senior program and services assessment that will become the foundation for a decision on the location of the new Branford Senior Center.”

Members of the group Voices for Branford Seniors, who have been rallying for a new senior center, are hopeful this is a step in the right direction. Many have voiced frustration. One senior was so upset about the project’s delay that she wanted the seniors to rally in front of Town Hall with signs, wheelchairs and canes.

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The senior center is located in the former Canoe Brook School, which dates back to 1898. It can only be entered by climbing stairs or by using an outdated, multi-level ramp.

Momentum

Sandra Vlock, president and co-founder of the architecture company, will conduct public forums and present her findings to Cosgrove by late November.

We’re trying to seize the momentum to get something started and to be as thoughtful as possible,” Vlock told the Eagle. She will meet with department heads at Town Hall next week and will finalize the schedule for public forums.

It’s really to have a whole-town outlook about senior programs and activities and to look forward to meet the communities expectations,” Vlock said. She emphasized that anyone is welcome to attend the forums.

We want to look at our community as a more integrated place,” Vlock said, adding that they want to find out what is unique to seniors and their needs and things that serve the whole community.”

Vlock called the assessment an exploration” rather than a study. She said the talks will also include discussion of changes that have occurred over recent years and what it means to be a senior in our society.” 

Cosgrove’s Plan

Cosgrove issued a press release about the project Thursday afternoon, but he was in meetings and could not be reached for further comment. 

The need for a new Senior Center home has been discussed and debated for quite some time,” Cosgrove said in the prepared statement. We need to lift the debate out of a preoccupation with buildings and start with a global assessment of our current programs, services and amenities, look at what others in the region are doing and then decide what we want and can afford and where to locate it.”

Cosgrove said the initial assessment will be comprehensive but will be complete within three months. We have to move beyond the bigger is always better’ mentality and start by looking carefully at what we need so that we can build something here that senior citizens will want to use and residents can be proud of,” he said.

We want a place that is program-driven, vibrant and integrated into the community, not just more space,” he said.

Seniors React: It’s about time.”

Genevieve Goff, who is celebrating her 87th birthday this weekend, was happy to hear about the public forums, but she offered one piece of advice.

Don’t hold the forums in the Senior Center because the seniors cannot get there,” she said.

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Goff confronted Cosgrove during a Senior Citizen rally last October at the Blackstone Library and asked about his intentions regarding a new center. The meeting, which was attended by about 70 people, was let by Voices for Branford Seniors, a grassroots group rallying for a new senior center. Click here to read about that meeting.

When informed by the Eagle about Cosgrove’s plan, Goff said: I think it’s about time. I was really getting to be very despondent. I thought I might not be alive by the time it got started.”

Goff is able to attend the center, but she said many seniors can’t climb the steps and the ramp is too steep to maneuver.

The senior center has been located at the former Canoe Brook school since 1975. The antiquated building was renovated in 1986, but it does not meet current accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other complaints focus on limited parking, and insufficient rooms for programs. Click here to read a story about Canoe Brook.

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Helen Kelsey, 89, (pictured),one of the founders of Voices for Branford Seniors, said the public forums are a step forward.” She and other seniors have been meeting weekly for months trying to spur action. She said one member of the group was so upset about the delays that she wanted the seniors to rally in front of Town Hall with signs.

Kelsey said they met with Cosgrove but it didn’t seem very productive.” They also met with other town leaders and with state Rep. Lonnie Reed to discuss their concerns. Lonnie Reed has really been working with us,” she said.

Dorothy Ricker, another member of Voices for Branford Seniors, said last October’s rally was well-attended but then nothing happened. After that, it seemed to drop through the cracks,” she said.

Ricker was relieved to hear that an architectural firm has been hired. At this point, we’re very happy and hopeful that we can finalize plans to get a new senior center,” she said.

Rebecca Randall, a 10-year member of Branford’s Commission on Elderly Services, was equally happy to hear about Cosgrove’s plan. I think it’s wonderful he’s starting,” she said. We really pushed him.”

She said the commission has been working hard to make something happen. We’ve been trying and trying. So if he’s sincere, I think we can do it.”

Past Efforts Failed

Previous attempts to locate a new senior center have failed. Four years ago, there was an ill-fated three-way building swap proposed by Anthony Unk” Da Ros, the former first selectman. 

He was trying to find larger locations for both the senior programs and the school district’s central administration office, which is housed at 1111 Main St. The plan called for moving the school offices to a renovated Canoe Brook, and moving the senior center to 145 N. Main St., owned by the Giordano family. The Giordanos would have swapped their building for the one at 1111 Main St.

After months of contentious meetings regarding the swap, the plan was put to rest by the Board of Finance .

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