WILBRAHAM – More than 600 residents turned out to the Special Town Meeting to approve funding a new senior center. Despite some debate and a small but vocal opposition to the location, voters resoundingly affirmed the desire for a new, state-of-the-art building for seniors to call their own.

Half an hour after the scheduled start time, voters were still filing into a packed auditorium and the cafeteria at Minnechaug Regional High School on Oct. 18. They approved six articles, the most controversial of which was the new $10.9 million senior center to be built behind the Town Hall at 240 Springfield St.

Linda Cooper of the Senior Center Building Committee presented the reasons that a new center is needed. Since the town began considering a new center in 2012, the percentage of the population over age 60 has grown by 7 percent and is estimated to grow by another 8 percent by 2030, reaching 44 percent, nearly half of the town.

She explained that the current senior center rents 3,800 square feet of space at the Scantic Valley YMCA, which costs $70,000 per year. Cooper said seniors are turned away from programs because of a lack of space. The center shares a kitchen and activities room, which can be used at the discretion of the YMCA, and the bathrooms are difficult to access for adults with mobility issues.

The Senior Center Feasibility Committee determined that seniors would need 12,000 to 15,000 square feet of space and more than 100 parking spaces. They researched more than 30 locations and decided that the land behind the Town Hall was the most suitable place.

Architect John Catlan laid out the vision for the new center and presented renderings of what the space would look like. There would be a dedicated library, game room, fitness area, wellness center and activity spaces. There would also be a commercial kitchen serving the nutrition needs of the aging population. The building would be compromised of two stories to shorten the length of halls for people with mobility issues. Placement of commonly used areas upstairs would encourage people to use the stairwell if able and an elevator would be available for those who were not.

Funding for the center will come from five sources: $3.2 million from the capital stabilization fund, $500,000 from the general stabilization fund, $41,583 from the town’s sale of real estate account, which was approved in Article 6, $5.5 million to be borrowed within the debt limit and $1.7 million borrowed in the form of a debt exclusion.

The last portion of the funding plan is the most controversial. The debt exclusion would add roughly $20 to the average residential property tax bill in the first year and decrease annually for 15 years, after which it would end. Cooper pointed out that at $5 per quarter, it’s about the cost of “a cup of coffee at Starbucks.”

Residents spoke for and against the planned facility. A vocal opponent of a newly-built center, Don Flannery brought up the amount spent on renting the YMCA over the years and pushed for the center to be located at Memorial School, a location he has repeatedly proposed over the past few years. He said the senior center, recreation department and veterans services could all be located in the building. Opponents of the new project applauded the idea.

A resident approached the microphone to say that she was disappointed that Caplan had never walked Memorial School and added that not all buildings have to be new. Another person, Jake Castingway, thanked the boards and committees for the work that was done, but said the location was “swampland.” He also claimed that abutting the Wilbraham Country Club would put the golf course “in the town’s pocket,” but didn’t explain the comment.

The Senior Center Feasibility Committee had previously eliminated Memorial School as an option due to long hallways, the size and condition of the building and the presence of asbestos. Flannery claimed that the Board of Selectmen had spread disinformation about the building and he had been cut off at the last Town Meeting, denying the voters an opportunity to vote on the school as the location for the senior center.

Resident John Haggerty responded to Flannery’s claims, pointing out that the building had been disqualified and said, “You’re entitled to your own opinion but you’re not entitled to your own facts.” Flannery stepped back up to the mic to challenge Haggerty but was booed by the crowd.

A resident said that the cost of rent at the YMCA was a “moot point” and added, “We don’t want to go to a junior high school.” Making a similar point, resident Michael Squindo said that locating the seniors in a school would require “changing a building made for people 3 and 4 feet tall for people who can’t get down to 3 and 4 feet.” He also said that the regionalization of senior services was not an option because seniors generally only travel within four miles of their home.

Select Board Vice Chair Carolyn Brennan, whose career has been in elder services, talked about the work that had been done over nearly a decade by the Senior Center Needs Committee, Senior Center Feasibility Committee and Senior Center Building Committee. She pointed out that the committees were composed of people with various expertise, including a building inspector, business people, finance professionals, medical professionals and two senior center directors.

“Due diligence has been done,” Brennan told the town.

Resident Patrick Kiernan, who serves on the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee, reminded residents that the town had taken on several new building projects in the past several years. “I would ask you to look at our needs more holistically and see where we can reduce cost,” he said.

Resident Al Leveson echoed Kiernan. “Five overrides in 11 years is not normal,” he said. “We need to send the school department and the town a strong message that we won’t accept irresponsible spending.”

Matt Villamaino, a proponent for the new center, pointed out that seniors have supported town projects that haven’t directly benefitted them. “The seniors were nomads; we never had a permanent home. Now is our time.”

Despite the yes vote at the Special Town Meeting, the future of the senior center is still in question. The town will need to approve the debt exclusion at a special election on Sept. 23. Without the debt exclusion, the entire proposal will be defeated. Voting will be at Minnechaug Regional High School from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Other Articles

The other articles vote on at the meeting included a transfer of $65,000 in funding from the Board of Health salary line item to the department’s professional services line. This funding transfer facilitated the change to a shared health services partnership with the Towns of Longmeadow, Hampden and Monson.

Also approved was a total of $359,000 from ambulance receipts and the Ambulance Depreciation Account to purchase a new ambulance, a zoning change from a neighborhood office to a residential home and the acceptance of a donated property at 96V Lake Dr.