Trevor Davis Real Estate hosted an open house at the Old St. Sebastian School on Durant Terrace Saturday morning drawing a few interested residents, including some who had attended the school as children, along with city officials from the Common Council, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Police Department, the Planning Conservation and Development Department and the Mayor's Office.
The 45 minute long open house allowed residents and officials to walk the corridors and inspect the rooms and the outside condition of the old school.
The Common Council recently voted to approve funds to conduct an in-depth study of the building (which will cost $10,000), to be sure the structure is appropriate for purchase and renovation as a Senior Center and municipal offices.
The going price is a million dollars...how many more dollars need to be spent to make it accessible to seniors? It needs to be fully handicap accessible. Elevators. Wide bathroom stalls with handles and other things that are needed. Wide doorways. The city will waste millions at a time when it can't afford to do so. Since most of the people who work in city hall are parishioners at St Senastians, they'll know they bailed out their church by the city purchasing this building. As far as I can see it is the only reason the city wants it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; before you make statements know the facts. Were you present at the November Council meeting when this issue was discussed. Did you show up at the open house. Probably no. But you appear to be interested. How about showing up at the December Council meeting when this issue will be discussed. You may learn somethig that you were not aware
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Ed Dypa
What about the rest of the City's residents? What happened to the thought of a Community Center?
ReplyDeleteThis city does so much for its kids ($110 million high school !!)and the poor.
ReplyDeleteIts time they did something for the seniors and especiallly the seniors that served in WWII, Korea Vietnam.
The seniors pay taxes and more than half goes to educate other peoples kids, not theirs and they are rarely delinquint.
Dear Anonymous, My belief and the belief of many of my peers is that having a Senior Center by itself is exclusionary. Furthermore, there is a national wave where municipalities build community centers which include senior programs as well as programs for the rest of the citizens. It is a better sell for the taxpayer. Everyone gets something out of it.
ReplyDeleteYou are right more than half of the tax dollars do go to education, but liken that to Durham and Middlefield where it is 80% of taxpayer dollars. Consider yourself lucky. And, BTW, the city was reimbursed quite a bit from the state for the $110 million dollar high school and fuel cell.
In Rocky Hill, the community functions are all combined into one Community Center and town offices building. They have adult exercise classrooms, senior activities, kids programs, etc all in the same building. Seems to work well and makes a lot of sense. The building has a vibrancy to it - constant comings and goings of all sorts of people.
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