Three-Way Building Swap Nets Seniors New Center

Branford’s senior citizen center has outgrown its location at a century-old school building. The town hopes a unique three-way building swap will give a burgeoning senior population new and better accommodations all on one floor. 

“We’re really, really popping at our seams,” said Dagmar Ridgway, director at the Canoe Brook Senior Center. ​“It will be exciting to have a building that is designed for seniors.”

Various swap scenarios have been discussed over the past few years, but First Selectman Anthony ​“Unk” DaRos announced progress at the recent meeting of the Branford Democratic Town Committee. He further described the project in an interview with the Eagle.

Plans call for the senior center to move from the town-owned Canoe Brook Center on Cherry Hill Road to an office building at 175 N. Main Street, which is owned by Giordano Construction. The Giordano family would swap their building for the one at the corner of Main and Montowese streets, which is owned by the town and currently houses the Board of Education offices. School officials would move to the Canoe Brook Center.

“It’s a good plan and it’s an opportunity for the seniors to get a building that’s designed for their programs,” DaRos said. ​“But we have a long way to go.”

When design plans are complete, they must be approved by the town’s regulatory boards, including the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Representative Town Meeting. DaRos estimates costs at about $1.5 million, including extensive renovations to create the senior center. By contrast, he said it would cost more than $5 million to build a new senior center from scratch.

Although there are numerous details to be worked out, DaRos is optimistic the project could be complete in about 16 months. ​“I would hope that by September 2011, everybody would be where they belong,” he said.

Creating a new center for the town’s growing senior population has been a top issue for town leaders for several years. A consultant was hired to perform a needs assessment for the senior center, and a report is expected to be complete in about a month.

Ridgway, who has worked at the center for some 30 years, has seen increases in the programs and the number of participants. There are currently 3,500 members who attend various programs throughout the year. The average age of participants is from 65 to 75, and the oldest member is 102. 

Ridgway estimates that more than 40 percent of Branford’s population will be over age 60 by the year 2030. 

“We’re trying to build an infrastructure that will meet the needs of the baby boomers in the future,” Ridgway said. ​“We would like to be able to expand our current programs to meet the demand.”

There are waiting lists to attend programs because the Canoe Brook building is too small to accommodate the number of people who want to take exercise classes or attend the computer learning lab. There are fitness programs, but there is no room for treadmills or other gym equipment. ​“It is important to have a dedicated space for programs that seniors want and need,” Ridgway said. ​“We really want something that is very functional.”

DaRos said the site at 175 N. Main St. would be perfect for the seniors because it has double the amount of space, it’s centrally located, has ample parking, and is on one level. ​“There would be no more stair-climbing or ramps that don’t work,” DaRos said in reference to the Canoe Brook building.

All of the town’s commissions and boards currently hold meetings at the Canoe Brook Center, and space is limited when hot issues are being discussed. DaRos said the North Main site would also be used for town meetings and that a large meeting room would be designed which could also be partitioned for smaller groups.

DaRos said the Canoe Brook building would be more appropriate for the BOE offices than their current site, and the Giordano family would receive property at a prime location across from the Town Green.

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