For close to a decade, many residents  worked diligently to advocate for a new Adult Center In Longmeadow.  While on the sidelines, I watched and listened at various committee meetings as well as at the Town Meeting in May of last year, when finally, the funds were approved by the voters for a new senior center at Greenwood Park.   

For many of our residents, they are “tired” of hearing about the new senior center.  They voted on it last year, it was approved, and now on to other issues.   
The town has moved forward with the Building Committee, architect, design team, Town Manager, department heads  and Select Board  to design a building that would serve both the current  and future needs of our elder adults.    The design is over 90 percent complete, and is expected to go out to bid in two weeks, bids to be opened by the end of April, a contract will be signed, and the town will break ground sometime in June.   

However, now there is a new Special Town Meeting scheduled for March 26, where we will be asked to vote once again on the  Adult Center.  It appears that there is a small group of elder residents who have not closely followed the design process.  In fact, the main proponent of this article did not attend Town Meeting last year, nor has this person attended any of the open committee meetings. So once again, we will head to the High School to vote.

Should this warrant article pass, it will mean a significant delay of the project.  It could be a delay for as much as a year, as the building is redesigned to this small group’s liking.  This will cost our taxpayers a significant amount of money, not only for the additional square feet, but also for increased costs in construction if it goes out to bid next spring, instead of now.   Add to that the funds that have been expensed thus far will have been wasted.   

I will vote “NO” on this article, and I encourage you to do the same.  More time, more money – for what?

Patricia Jorczak
Longmeadow