New Plans For Senior Center-Community House Arrive

Helen Kelsey listened carefully as plans for a new senior center were presented at a special meeting Wednesday night. It was a night she had been waiting for. 

Kelsey, 90, and a group of senior activists have been championing for a new center to replace the outdated and inaccessible Canoe Brook Senior Center which dates back to 1898.

“I thought we would never get to this point,” Kelsey told the Eagle after the meeting. She was one of four women who founded Voices for Branford Seniors, a grass-roots group who sponsored a forum in October 2013 to demand a new center. Click here to read about that forum two years ago. ​“That meeting at the library has gotten us to this point,” she said Wednesday. ​“It’s more than I expected. The plans look good but there are some things that need to be worked out.”

Kelsey, pictured to the left above, was among an estimated 70 people who attended the presentation Wednesday at Branford Fire Headquarters. The group asked numerous questions after a power point presentation by Thomas Arcari, of Quisenberry Arcari Architects LLC of Farmington. There were questions and suggestions about the number of elevators, access to the building, storage, the size of the dining room, parking, timeframe and costs.

Arcari welcomed the questions and said some of the suggestions would be included as the plans are fine-tuned.

“We want to show you our ideas and get your feedback, and use that feedback to help refine the designs,” Arcari told the crowd as he presented the conceptual plans. ​“There are many factors we will address as we go forward.”

Arcari later told the Eagle that the very best-case scenario would be to begin construction by the end of next summer, but he said that depends on how long it takes to get town approvals.

The Plans

Plans call for renovating and expanding the two-story Community House on Church Street, which currently houses the Parks and Recreation Department and programs. The rec programs would be on the first floor, with direct access through a new entry from the parking lot. The Senior Center Department and programs would be on the second floor, which can be accessed directly through a new entrance on Church Street, or from the parking lot level by using an elevator.

“Each department is going to maintain its own identity,” said First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove said as he discussed the Community House project. He said the proposal will provide a new home for seniors, and will also renovate the space for recreation programs.

In regard to questions about parking issues, the first selectman said he knows that parking is an issue at the Community House. Cosgrove said Sliney Elementary School staff and visitors use about 30 parking spaces there. He said if parking becomes a problem, the town may have to look at alternatives.

Arcari said, ​“Our team thinks this is a really good opportunity for the community to meet the future programming needs of both the recreation department and the senior center as well as any additional needs within an existing building.” 

“One of the strengths of this project for the community is that you’re working with an existing building that has really good bones, and when renovated will present a good overall value to the community,” said Arcari, who is pictured above.

“Most importantly in a community facility — we’re calling this a community campus — is to identify how both departments will work within the existing building, share some space, but maintain their own unique identities and their own unique programming.”

Arcari said his team has spent time considerable time working with the directors and staffs of both the recreation and senior departments.

Arcari said there are two proposed additions to the building, which are depicted in maroon in the site sketch above.

Those additions are also depicted in the sketch below, which shows a view of the building from the parking lot.

He said parking will increase from the current 87 spaces to 107 spaces, including 12 spaces for handicapped parking.

Plans call for patio space off both levels to allow for exterior recreation; and an area for bocce or horseshoes. There will be new sidewalks throughout the site to connect from Church Street around the building to the parking level.

Arcari said the lower level and the gym will be renovated, along with bathrooms and locker room facilities. An arts and crafts activity room will be designed, and the new addition will house two meeting rooms and a multi-function space for recreation programs on the lower level.

The upper level, as seen in the above sketch, would house the senior programs. Plans call for a full-service kitchen, a multi-function room with an exterior deck, an arts and crafts room, a fitness room, a game room, and a café. Plans also include a library named after Matthew Brady, the former director of the senior center who retired after 32 years of service.

“A community center — senior center is more than just a place you go to take part in activities,” Arcari said. ​“It’s where you go to spend a portion of your day — to socialize and interact with other community members and your peers.”

Flooding Concerns

Arcari’s team has also proposed measures to counteract the effects of flooding which frequently occurs on Meadow Street and the town’s athletic fields adjacent to the Community House. Arcari said exterior flood control elements will be added such as flood doors and dedicated pump equipment.

He said the existing heating and cooling system will be removed from the lower level and new units will be placed on the roof to keep them out of a potential flood area.

Asking Questions

A number of questions and comments were made by Richard Batitk, who later told the Eagle he is very familiar with the Canoe Brook Center. ​“I go there five days a week,” he said. ​“I‘ve been waiting a long time to ask these questions.”

Batitk suggested having more than one elevator to accommodate people in wheelchairs and those who have difficulty walking. ​“Right now we have people who can’t join the center because they can’t get in,” Batitk said.

“That’s a good point,” Arcari said, adding that the building will be fully accessible and will meet all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

Two men who are bus drivers for the seniors asked questions about where buses can drop off patrons, and where the buses will be parked. Arcari said the drop-off areas can accommodate a 56-seat tour bus.

Genevieve Goff, a frequent commenter on senior center issues, asked if there would be ramps at the new center. ​“There are seniors who don’t have electric wheelchairs and don’t have strength in their arms to wheel themselves up a ramp,” she said.

Arcari said the ground will be graded at the Church Street entrance and on the side so that steps and ramps will be eliminated. He said there will be sloped sidewalks that provide easy access.

“Everything sounds very good,” Goff said. ​“But I would prefer a place where we have no chance for a flood.”

Timeframe and Costs

In response to a question about the timeframe for construction, Arcari said construction would take about 10 to 12 months. He said the conceptual plans will be refined following community input. ​“We start with a grand scheme and refine it from there,” he said.

Plans will have to go before the town’s regulatory boards and commissions, and costs must be approved by the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting (RTM).

Cosgrove said the recreation department will have to move to an alternate space while construction is underway. He said plans will be in place to continue all recreation programs before the Community House would close for construction.

When asked about costs, Arcari said ​“I really don’t know at this point.” He said they will have two professional cost estimators do estimates for the project before a budget is set.

Additional presentations will be scheduled in the coming month. One will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Canoe Brook Senior Center; and another on Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. at a meeting of the Commission on Elderly Services at the Fire Department Headquarters. A meeting will also be scheduled with the Recreation Board in early November.

Following the meeting, Dagmar Ridgway, director of the Canoe Brook Senior Center, told the Eagle that she is very happy with the proposals. ​“I’m so thrilled and I think the people will be thrilled.”

Ridgway said the proposed new center will provide accessibility and will accommodate more programs for all age groups. ​“We’re dealing with three or four generations and we need to programs for all of them,” she said.

Both Ridgway and recreation director Alex Palluzzi (pictured above) said they commend Branford’s Public Buildings Commission for choosing the Quisenberry Arcari firm from a field of 14 applicants. ​“Tom and his team are tops in senior center designs. They understand what we need,” Ridgway said.

Palluzzi told the Eagle that the project is one that that everyone in the community can be proud of. ​“Dagmar and I are united on this project,” he said. ​“It will really be a hub of activity for everyone.”

Palluzzi said the project will be good for the whole community. ​“We want the momentum to keep moving forward,” he said.

A Long Quest

The quest for a new senior center has been ongoing for many years, but no projects ever came to fruition. The Canoe Brook Senior Center does not meet 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.

In September 2014, Cosgrove announced he hired Sandra Vlock of Arbonies King Vlock architectural firm in Stony Creek to conduct an assessment of senior programs and needs, and to hold public forums. About 140 people attended forums that were held in the morning and evening on Nov. 6, 2014. Although many issues were discussed, seniors were told that locations would be discussed at another meeting. They were not. Click here to read about the forums. 

The next public session was held March 4, 2015, during a meeting of the Board of Selectmen (BOS). At that time, Vlock outlined a proposal to renovate and expand the Community House to include a new senior center. She presented conceptual sketches to show how it could be done. The BOS that night unanimously approved renovating and expanding the Community House. Click here to read about that meeting.

The senior center is the first project under the jurisdiction of the five-member Public Building Commission. According to its regulations, two temporary members who have specific interest in a project may be added. The BOS has not yet named temporary members for the senior center project.

The Public Building Commission voted unanimously June 24 to recommend that the Quisenberry Arcari firm be hired after reviewing 14 proposals and interviewing six firms. Several members of the Public Building Commission attended the presentation but the Commission itself has made no recommendation on the plans. 

The BOS unanimously approved hiring the Quisenberry firm in July. Click here to read that story.
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