Date: 4/7/2021
I’d like to follow up on a couple points that Bob Page made in his excellent letter last week. Contrary to what some people believe, seniors are not moving out of Wilbraham. Our senior population (those 60 and over) has consistently increased over the years and they’re aging in place! They’re not leaving town.
Just look at the facts: according to the 2012 Senior Center Needs Study, there were 3,711 seniors as of June 21, 2012. Back then, the committee unanimously concluded that the Senior Center at the YMCA was totally inadequate to fulfill the needs of seniors then and in the future. Per our town clerk, at April 23, 2019 the number of seniors had risen to 4,267. And at Dec. 31, 2020, our town clerk reported the number of seniors increased to 4,428!
The only thing that didn’t increase was the inadequate size of the “Y” senior center. Now looking down the road, the UMass Donahue Institute (an approved Federal GSA vendor providing research and demographic information), stated that Wilbraham’s senior population will increase to 5,747 by 2030. A whopping increase of 30 percent over 2020!
Some folks also question why do we need a larger senior center. The Friends recently updated a study of 10 senior centers in our area with respective town personnel (community centers were omitted); Agawam, Belchertown, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Hadley, Hamden, Holyoke, Ludlow, Monson and Palmer.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs recommended a senior center use 5.5 square feet per senior as a guideline when evaluating the adequacy of space. The average number of seniors in the above-mentioned towns was 4,914 with an average senior center size of 16,639 square feet. This translates to an average of 4.0 square feet per senior. Wilbraham has 4,428 seniors and the current size of our space is only 3,840 square feet or .9 square feet per senior. Significantly smaller all around! The proposed new 15,534 square foot Wilbraham senior center would translate to 3.5 square feet per senior which is in line but smaller than the average 10 area senior centers.
However, building a new senior center is not only a great benefit for seniors, it’s another great asset for our amazing community. It’s one more solid pillar in Wilbraham’s foundation that makes our hometown a safe, happy and enjoyable place to live our life to the fullest.
We all have opinions, but please look at the facts. More facts and information will follow in the coming months for our Special Fall Town Meeting. Stay tuned!
Matt Villamaino
President
Friends of Wilbraham Seniors
