Diana Stricker Photo
The chair of the Commission on Elderly Services said last week she wishes the commission had more input into plans for a new senior center before the Board of Selectmen (BOS) voted to approve the project.
The first public presentation was two weeks ago when the BOS unanimously approved renovating and expanding the Community House on Church Street to include a senior center.
“This meeting we’re having now, I would have preferred to have had before the Board of Selectmen meeting,” said Anita Visentin Perito, the commission chair. Perito said no one on the nine-member commission saw the Community House plans until the night of the BOS vote.
Perito expressed her views during a commission meeting at Canoe Brook Center Thursday when First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove and architect Sandra Vlock presented the project to the commission.
“There’s a lot of things about the plan that are great,” Perito said, but added that there are concerns and questions. She said residents were not permitted to discuss location and specifics at the November forums. “I had the impression then that there were going to be other opportunities and forums,” she said.
Click here to read about the November forums.
Diana Stricker Photo
Cosgrove and Vlock (pictured) said the details of the project will be worked out during the design phase, and that the current drawings are only conceptual plans. “We are moving the project forward… and continuing to work with the public,” Cosgrove said.
Cosgrove did hold private meetings prior to the BOS vote, when he shared plans with Dagmar Ridgway, director of the Canoe Brook Center; and Alex Palluzzi, who heads the Park and Recreation Department; and also with members of Voices for Branford Seniors.
Parking and Flooding and Kids
Several people at Thursday’s commission meeting expressed concerns about parking at the Community House, the frequent flooding of playing fields and Meadow Street, and the number of kids who use the facilities and the playing fields.
One woman asked if some of the playing fields could be moved to a different location. Others asked if there will be a pavilion for outdoor barbeques, and if a parking garage could be built. One woman suggested buying nearby property to provide more parking.
“What you’re hearing here are a lot of good ideas,” Perito told Cosgrove.
Vlock said ideas like these could be considered during the design phase. “We need input to get the most out of the potential for the building,“she said.
According to the proposed plans, the two-story Community House, which currently houses the Parks and Recreation Department and programs, will undergo renovations and an elevator will be added. An addition will be built to the left of the Church Street entrance where the Senior Center Department and most of the senior programs will be located. Some areas on both floors will be blended for use by both departments.
Perito asked about the timeframe for the project.
Cosgrove said the newly formed Public Building Commission will prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to hire a design team. “We’ll review those proposals and bring someone on board,” he said. The commission meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Fire Headquarters.
The senior center is the first project that will come under the jurisdiction of the five-member Public Building Commission. According to its regulations, two temporary members may be appointed who represent the “users’ interest” in a specific project. The temporary members for this project have not yet been named.
Cosgrove also said he is working with the town’s engineering department to address the flooding issues on Meadow Street and the playing fields, which are often under water during heavy rainstorms.
When Perito again asked when the project might be finished, Cosgrove said he has no date. “I don’t know why you’re hung up on a date,” he said.
“Because people have been waiting for a long time,” Perito said.
Seniors have been advocating for a new center for several years. The Canoe Brook Senior Center does not meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. It can only be accessed by steep steps or a dilapidated four-level ramp. In addition, the building is not large enough to accommodate the number of activities and exercise programs.
The former Canoe Brook School, which was built in 1898, has served as the senior center since 1975. Previous attempts to replace the building were not successful.
New Meeting Location
In other business, the commission unanimously approved holding meetings at Fire Headquarters at 45 North Main St. instead of Canoe Brook. The change won’t take effect until the May meeting.
Perito said it will be easier to tape meetings at the Fire Headquarters, where many town meetings are held.
The Commission on Elderly Services recently voted to have BCTV tape meetings for viewing on the local cable station. In December, the commission voted to increase the number of meetings to better address issues regarding a new senior center.
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The challenge of dealing with the flooding of Meadow Street and Hammer Field, and potentially the lower level of Community House will get bigger as sea level, and the level of the Branford River, rises. A recent report pegs the most likely sea level increase at 3.3 feet by 2100, with up to twice as much possible if the melting rate of Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets is underestimated. I'm looking forward to the Town's development of a Coastal Resilience Plan, which is supposed to start later this year. Concerned residents should watch for notices and attend public meetings when they are announced.