Groundbreaking Held for New Community-Senior Center

There were a lot of smiling faces at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Community Center last Friday on the grounds of the recently closed Branford Community House. The work has already begun on the much anticipated shared community and senior center facility. Over 40 attended the traditional shoveling-of-the-dirt ceremony.

“When this new building is finished it will be the hub of the community,” First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove (pictured) told a crowd of 40 people who attended the traditional shoveling-of-the-dirt ceremony Friday morning.

“We went out to the community and asked people what they thought,” Cosgrove said. ​“We had a number of meetings with different groups and the end result was they said we should have an easily accessible, centrally located facility that met the needs of the folks that used the Community House and those that use the Canoe Brook Senior Center.”

Cosgrove went on to recognize project architect Tom Arcari of Quisenberry Arcari Architects LLC; David Secondino of A. Secondino & Sons Construction; Peter Banca, chairman of the Building Committee; and Janice Plaziak, town engineer for their contributions in getting the project underway.

Special recognition was given by the Selectman to Helen Kelsey, an active senior center spokesperson who attended many of the meetings concerning the new center. Kelsey and several other women formed Voices For Branford Seniors in 2013 — a grassroots effort to replace the outdated and inaccessible Canoe Brook Senior Center on Cherry Hill Road. The women have been instrumental in scheduling public meetings that attracted overflow crowds.

Cosgrove spoke about Kelsey’s attending one meeting in particular that lasted until midnight in order to participate in the discussion. For her dedication he invited her to ​“grab a shovel and hard hat” and join the others in a photo. (See top photo.).

At the groundbreaking ceremony Kelsey and a few of her friends joined the early morning dedication but the majority of seniors previously involved in seeking a new senior center were not present. There were some seniors who were not in agreement with the combined facility. Many were upset because they were promised a meeting on a final location before the Board of Selectmen approved the site unanimously. The meeting with the seniors did not happen and Cosgrove was confronted about it at a meeting of the Elderly Services Commission back in March 2015. 

Dagmar Ridgway, director of the Senior Center, thanked her staff and board for their input and suggestions about the new center. ​“This is a special time for the residents of Branford,” said Ridgway. She mentioned how Helen Kelsey and others found it hard to get into their aging Canoe Brook building and felt it was time for a new place with better amenities such as an elevator. She also remembered her predecessor Matt Brady for what he did for the town’s seniors.

Director of Recreation Alex Palluzzi, Jr. (pictured) praised his predecessor, the legendary Joe Trapasso, who had the vision to build the Community House back in 1963. Two of Trapasso’s daughters, Patricia and Maggie, attended the ceremony.

He also thanked Cosgrove for his vision in combining the recreation activities and senior activities into a single facility like it was in the past. 

The Rec Department staff Victor Amatori (left), Andrea Steady, Dale Izzo, Alex Palluzzi, Monica Sullivan, and Marcel Cote were on hand for the event.

The grounds are now fenced in for safety and the Secondino firm has begun work on the project. Here the Dino looks at the Ginkgo.

The bleachers in the Joe Trapasso gym have been dismantled and the Ginkgo tree on the North side of the building was in the process of being removed. The $12.15 million project is expected to last one year.

Secondino’s portion of the contract is $9,966,013, with the balance going toward ​“soft costs,” such as furnishings and fees. Here the deal is sealed in Cosgrove’s Town Hall office.

Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story.