LONGMEADOW – Roughly 50 people attended the Over 60 Club’s gathering in Longmeadow’s current Adult Center at Greenwood Park on April 12, where they met with architect John Catlin of Catlin & Petrovick Architects PC who is preparing to build the new Adult Community Center at Greenwood.        

Catlin shared a presentation with the group that showed the comparison between the old Adult Center and the potential new Adult Center in an effort to illustrate to those in attendance why a new building is necessary.

This year at the Annual Town Meeting, residents of Longmeadow are able to vote to decide whether or not a new Adult Community Center will be built in town.  Warrant Article 14 is dedicated to seeing if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of $14,000,000 or a greater or lesser sum for the purpose of constructing and furnishing a new Council on Aging facility.  The approval of the fund appropriation would need a two-thirds vote.  It is a hope of Over 60 Club President Eleanor Stolar that after attending one of the informational sessions, residents will see that this is a necessity.

The meeting began with a few words from Stolar along with resident Marybeth Bergeron.  Stolar explained that there has been significant discussion in town as to whether or not the new Adult Community Center would be a want versus a need.  She believes that after showing photos or offering a tour to residents who would like to see the current Adult Center for themselves, they would see that a new Adult Community Center is needed.

The current Adult Center is utilizing the former Greenwood Elementary School. As a resident walks into the Adult Center, it is challenging to figure out where they are supposed to be going, as there is limited signage and no reception area.  In fact, the office space where a resident would find out more information on the Adult Center, current programming and more, is located several doors down the hall on the right.

“This is disrespectful to older citizens. You come in the front door and you don’t know where to go, it’s not welcoming,” Bergeron stated.

Stolar showed photos of the Veteran’s Services office and nurse’s office, which both share a space in an open room within the Adult Center.  This small space has a sign that reads, “This is not a confidential area. If you would like to speak in private, I will be more than happy to accommodate.”         Stolar then explained that when her husband who was a veteran passed away, she asked the Veterans’ Agent to meet her at a McDonalds instead of in the office because she felt McDonalds afforded more privacy.

Stolar continued and displayed photos of the bathrooms.  While they’re currently used by senior citizens, the bathrooms are outfitted for young children.  The toilets sit extraordinarily low to the ground, as do the urinals and sinks.  Stolar and Bergeron pointed out that this can be challenging for seniors when attempting to stand up and sit down from the seats.  In the women’s room specifically, the stalls are narrow; just that day a senior had been stuck in the restroom stall.  In addition, the bathrooms are located at the end of a long hallway, which can be a challenge for the adults to get to in time.  To illustrate, Bergeron stated it’s a 170-foot walk to the bathroom, which is “longer than most lots.”

The Meeting Room, also known as the multi-purpose room in the existing Adult Center, is a large space that can be divided in half. The Over 60 Club’s meeting took place in this room, and quickly the room became quite warm with so many residents contained within it.  When it was requested that the air conditioning be turned on, Bergeron laughed, as the air conditioning and heating system does not work properly.  In addition, when the heating or air system is turned on, the fan is loud which is a challenge for residents who are hard of hearing.

The Adult Center fitness room is combined with the game room in a cramped, small space.  Due to the pool table and ping pong table, there are only two stationary bikes and one treadmill able to fit in the space. Again, due to the limited amount of room, the pool table does not have a sufficient amount of space surrounding it to provide for proper pool-play.

Wrapping up, Stolar shared that the lunches that the Adult Center provides for seniors are good, but the space becomes so crowded that people are refused.  
Introducing Catlin, Bergeron explained that after seeking out several architects and interviewing two, within the first few seconds they knew they wanted to choose Catlin due to his extensive work building Adult Centers.

“He knows that we need, and what works. He’s worked in 40 or 50 communities,” she said.

Catlin came before the residents and shared that he believes this is an exciting project, and it’s a challenge in every community he has worked in to receive funding.

“Without fail, ‘us’ seniors are in the basement of a town hall, the library, a church or a former elementary school.  These buildings are not accommodated for seniors, they create a barrier to entry,” he said.

While by day the new building will be for use of the seniors, by night the Adult Community Center will be utilized by the community.  Recreation sports teams will be able to sign up to use the gymnasium space for activities that they would not have the ability to use otherwise.

Similar to Stolar, Catlin displayed the photos of the current Adult Center, however he continued the presentation to offer visuals, blueprints and renderings of what the new Adult Community Center at Greenwood could look like.

The Adult Community center is set to be a two-story, 20,537 square foot building, facing South to harness as much sunlight as possible. On the exterior, there would be 141 parking spaces put into the area where the current tennis courts are located.  The building is level to the ground, so there is no need for a ramp for those who may be in wheelchairs.  Catlin stated he would, “never build a building with a ramp because it’s a barrier to entry.” In addition, there would be multiple handicap parking spaces for those who would need it.  

A large pool would be to the right of the building, and two pickleball courts to the left. Behind the new Adult Community Center there are plans for a large patio and an outdoor stage for concerts.  In addition, multiple playing fields would be located in the back, located closely to the current Adult Center parking lot.  The building itself will have clapboard on the lower level and shingles on the upper level. Catlin described it as, “low maintenance” considering the siding doesn’t expand or contract.

As a resident would walk into level one of the new Adult Community Center, plans show that the building will have an administrative area to the left for the general administrative staff as well as two private offices.  To the right there is a cafe with seating which will serve light refreshments.  Across from the administrative area and the cafe sits a unisex bathroom which is ideal for those who may need quick bathroom access or need assistance in the restroom, as it is larger.

Walking straight down the hall, there will be a gift shop, a men’s restroom and a women’s room. To the right, there will be a large multi-purpose room which connects to the kitchen. Seating in the multi-purpose room will consist of four-person tables.  Catlin explained that four-person tables have proven to be easier for seniors to hold conversations at; seniors won’t have to raise their voices to hear each other across the table. The multi-purpose room has access to an indoor-outdoor platform stage.  Across from the multi-purpose room, there will be a lounge and library with a fireplace.  

To the right of the cafe down an additional short hallway the Veterans’ Services office, the nurse’s office and the food pantry are in their own location to provide for privacy.  In addition, that area of the hallway has a separate entrance for individuals using those services.

Catlin shared that it’s important for seniors to be “doing eight to 10 flights of stairs a day.” Keeping that in mind, there is a staircase at the end of the hallway and next to it an elevator for individuals who may not be able to climb stairs.  The stairs are designed to have a shorter six-inch rise with railings.  The stairs will also be non-slip.

Individuals will be able to walk into the gymnasium from the lounge space or from the outdoors.  The 8,275 square foot gymnasium has its own bathrooms and changing space, with a suspended track above it for people who would like to walk or run indoors.  The track is accessed by the second level.  

A resident in attendance at the meeting questioned the noise level of the gymnasium, stating it could be distracting.

“You could probably have a high school game right in there and you wouldn’t know,” Catlin responded.  He shared that the gym will house ceiling tile that will absorb the sound.

On level two of the proposed Adult Community Center, residents are welcomed to the large fitness room which has views into the gymnasium and track. There is a separate game area as well as two classrooms which can host arts and crafts, clubs, learning sessions and more. There are an additional two rest rooms, as well as storage and mechanical areas.  

When a resident questioned what would happen if there was a fire in the building and the elevators couldn’t be utilized, Catlin explained that there is a refuge area on the upper level that can house several individuals in wheelchairs safely until the Fire Department arrives. The area also features a communication system.             

A member of the club questioned whether or not it was cheaper to have the building spread out on one floor rather than two.  Catlin responded that this was a misconception; the foundation would have to be two times larger, the roof two times larger and the exterior facade would be overall significantly larger creating additional costs.

Bergeron came before the group once again and shared that the building would cost each town resident .48 cents per thousand on their tax rate.

“If your home is assessed at $300,000 it will cost you $150 on your tax rate,” Bergeron said.

In total, the Adult Community Center is estimated to cost $13,907,188, including the construction and soft costs.

Bergeron explained how important it is for residents to vote on this topic, stating that Hampden, Chicopee, Holyoke and Springfield all have new Adult Centers, that Wilbraham is in the process of building a new center and East Longmeadow has refurbished theirs.  

“There are four reasons why seniors go to an Adult Center, for socialization, nutrition, fitness and learning,” Bergeron explained. She stated she didn’t feel seniors had that opportunity in the current Adult Center.  

Providing statistics, Bergeron said there are currently 4,509 seniors in town, and 2,666 rising seniors. “Almost half of the town’s population is getting only $156,000 out of a $63 million budget,” Bergeron stated, referencing the amount that seniors were allocated in the towns funding.

On May 2 at 2:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. at the Longmeadow Adult Center at 231 Maple Rd., there will be similar informational sessions to learn about the design of the new Adult Community Center. In addition on May 3 at 6 p.m., there will be a town discussion on the full warrant at the Adult Center. Residents are encouraged to attend one of the informational sessions to learn more about the potential new Adult Community Center prior to Town Meeting on May 8.