Below is an op-ed from Wilmington State Representative Dave Robertson:
It’s Their Time – The Buzzell Senior Center Deserves Retirement
In terms of public buildings there is no one with more variety in its role as our Buzzell Senior Center. Whether it is the town nurse providing the seniors of our town with a check up, an exercise group session designed to keep our seniors fit underway, or specialists providing elderly tax assistance the Buzzell Center always has a hustle and bustle to it. In fact, before COVID limited outside visits to the Buzzell Center, I often hosted community office hours there due to the ease of access for our older community members.
It is exactly because of my time here that I firsthand want to emphasize the importance of supporting this project. Often, due to the heavy use and schedule of the building, I and many others utilizing the space were placed into various nooks or crannies. While this isn’t an issue for me, those that rely on walkers, canes, or other mobility devices do have problems being squirrelled away in spaces not originally designed for activities. The kitchen, while renovated with state assistance a few years ago, is stretched to its limits for larger events. Many of the doors are difficult, if not impossible, for those with mobility needs to traverse and the dated environmental systems and lack of insulation gives two year-round options for temperatures – freezing or scorching. Even leaving the building can be an ordeal, as the front door leads into a parking lot “traffic lane.”
After many long years of careful and deliberate planning by the Senior Center Building Committee Wilmington now has an opportunity to back its seniors and deliver a facility capable of giving them the scheduling and events they truly deserve. With the number of residents utilizing the senior center set to double within the next decade, the new facility would have a prime location on Main Street complete with expanded function rooms, outdoor space, and adequate parking for those of all physical abilities. With the ability to expand in the future, the building incorporates future population growth and longevity as well as solving all the issues with the current facility that hampers our seniors. The plans are extremely well-vetted, and will not result in any tax-increase for our residents.
Our seniors were the forerunners who built our town – our schools, businesses, homes and more. Let’s return their hard work and give them the support they deserve in a building they, and Wilmington, deserve. It’s Their Time.
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