Design revealed

Date: 5/30/2012

May 30, 2012

By G. Michael Dobbs

news@thereminder.com

CHICOPEE — The reviews are in: the 120 seniors who saw the designs for the new "Older Adults Center" liked what they saw, according to Sandra Lapollo, executive director of the Council on Aging.

It was standing-room-only at the Senior Center for the hour-long presentation on May 24.

"I've had very positive comments about it today," Lapollo told Reminder Publications the day after the meeting. She added the seniors liked the fact the two-story building that will be constructed at the Facemate site has an open layout but the various rooms and features are close to one another.

Mayor Michael Bissonnette admitted to the audience there have been "bumps" along the way to the final design. He added the new building is going to be the "centerpiece" for a new neighborhood that will be constructed where the Facemate and Uniroyal factories once stood.

Carl Dietz, director of the Office of Community Development, said the initial demolition of the Facemate site would be done by the end of June. After that is completed there will be one more preparation of the site before the groundbreaking can be done in the fall.

Tim Eagles of edm described the design of the building as one that "respects the past but look forward." It will have a brick facade.

Doug and Ellen Gallow of Lifespan Design Studios, explained the 21,000 square feet of space was designed to be accessible for people of different sizes and abilities. They also said the building would be used by some people for a period of 20 years and was designed for flexibility.

There will be two stories with the lower level called "the garden level," Doug Gallow said. That level will include a reception desk, a large open area with a café, an open lounge with a fireplace and views of the Chicopee River and woods.

He added the design includes 20 percent more toilets that required by the state building code. The lower level would also feature several classrooms, a billiards room and a multi-purpose room that could seat 200 people.

The upper floor, which would be level with the street, would be the home for health and fitness areas and an art studio.

John Furman of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. explained much thought went into the exact location of the new center. One of the challenges was to make sure it did not interfere with an underground canal with utility cables.

He noted the center will have parking for 250 cars and will be designed to recycle the water from the parking lots.

Bissonnette said the new building would be as energy efficient as possible.

The mayor said the new center would cost between $6 million and $6.5 million to construct, with additional funding necessary to furnish the building and landscape it. The City Council has approved an expenditure of $4 million and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is granting the city an advance of $3 million on its Community Development Block Grant funding.

The Friends of the Chicopee Senior Center have pledged to raise $2 million for the project. Former Mayor Richard Kos is the co-chair of the fund-raising effort and he admitted that in these tough economic times, the goal might be more difficult to reach now than several years ago when there was a private fund-raising campaign for the new library.

He urged the seniors in the room to talk about the project with area businesses and thanking those that have made contributions so far.