Four sites identified for potential new Wilbraham senior center

Date: 11/20/2014

WILBRAHAM – At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Senior Center Feasibility Subcommittee identified four site locations for a new potential senior center, which could end up being between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet.

Director of Elder Affairs Paula Dubord said one potential site consists of six acres behind the former Bennett Turkey Farm at 601 Main St.

The owner of the property recently contacted the Friends of the Wilbraham Senior Center to arrange a possible donation to the town with a stipulation that the front portion of the property be rezoned, she added. The Board of Selectmen would decide whether to approve this donation.

John Catlin, architect for the New Hampshire-based architectural firm Catlin and Petrovick, said there is also a perennial stream nearby the 601 Main St. property that would have to be examined by the Conservation Commission.

Dubord said one of the drawbacks to the 601 Main St. property is the amount of traffic due to the site being close to Minnechaug Regional High School.

Another site consists of seven acres located behind the Christ the King Lutheran Church at 758 Main St, she added. Approximately three and a half acres on the ballfield in front of Mile Tree Elementary School is a possible site as well.

The subcommittee is also examining two parcels of land near Post Office Park, Dubord said.

Wilbraham has a population of about 14,000, which consists of roughly 3,800 senior citizens, she added.

“What this building does; it provides three key support systems for the community,” Catlin said. “It creates engagement or socialization, it provides [a] nutritional basis through their meals program and through encouragement of eating properly, and it provides an opportunity, if you can, for physical fitness.”

During the past five years, almost all of Catlin’s adult community center projects have included a full fitness facility, a drop-in cafe, meeting rooms, he said.

“We put together what we call a matrix,” Catlin explained. “[Subcommittee members] are a part of the matrix and it has subjective numbers that get assigned to it. That matrix allows us to begin to narrow down the difficult decision of finding the right site.”

The first two steps for the subcommittee include creating a program menu of what should be included in the preliminary designs such as outdoor areas and multi-purpose space, and determining the physical attributes for each site, he added.

“Today’s [senior] demographics are not what we’re designing for,” Catlin said. “Really, this building will have a 40- to 50-year life span. It doesn't necessarily mean that we’re building out for 50 years but we’d like to be on a site that would allow us to expand.”

Catlin noted that he frequently designs senior centers with outdoor activities in mind. He stated that natural lighting is also important for seniors to receive sunlight during winter months.

“Being outside is so critical to healthy aging,” he added. “That’s the way you [develop] your vitamin D and your calcium into a bone structure; through 20 minutes of exposure to the sun per day.”

In about five weeks, the subcommittee might host an open public meeting in order to get resident input on the preliminary design, Dubord said.

“I find that it’s extremely important not to get so far down the road and say [to residents] ‘See what we’ve done, I hope you like it,’” Catlin added. “Now you've got to vote for it and that doesn’t work that well. We want the community to be a part of the process because in the end it’s the community that supports this.”

Dubord said public education and communication about the proposed new senior center is a vital element as the project moves forward. An article pertaining to a new senior center would likely appear on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting this spring.

The existing senior center is a 3,840-square-foot property that is leased from the Scantic Valley YMCA at 45B Post Office Park located near Boston Road.