Friends Of Greenwich Senior Center Awarded $300K Grant

GREENWICH, CT — The Friends of the Greenwich Senior Center (FGSC) have been given a $300,000 grant that will go towards renovating the senior center building located at 299 Greenwich Ave.

The funding was secured with the help of State Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-150), who worked closely with the Connecticut Office of Policy Management and Gov. Ned Lamont's office.

"It is all wonderful in this joyous holiday season to validate the work carried out by countless volunteers to make this world a better place," Meskers said in a news release.

After the grant, $220,000 is still needed to complete an all new Senior Center facility. The project is expected to be fully complete by 2025.

The FGSC is a 501(c)3 organization created to fundraise for the construction of a new building or renovation of the existing facility, and to support and/or augment programs that directly benefit the fast growing segment of older adult residents in Greenwich. They have a public/private partnership with the town of Greenwich dividing renovation costs equally between the two.

"We are incredibly thankful to Steve Meskers and to everyone who has been working so hard to create a safe, healthy, and updated environment to support our older population," said Patricia Burns, President of the FGSC, in a news release. "This generous grant came to us because people care passionately about the residents who choose to age in place, near their family and friends."

There has been an ongoing phased renovation of the Greenwich Senior Center in the center of Greenwich Avenue for eight years. The building, which is the old Town Hall, is a historic landmark and has not been renovated since the program began in 1981.

A new kitchen and dining room is currently in the works with the goal of opening in the fall of 2022, according to a news release.

"We were excited to discover exposed stone and brick with archways when we started construction in the dining room," Burns added. "We are going to incorporate these historic elements into the sunny, modern renovation and add large screens for seminars and classes, and cashless, touchless tablets for sanitary payments. We’re not going to be ‘old’ anymore."

If you would like to donate to help FGSC reach their goal, please visit their website or email Patricia Burns at greenwichsc@gmail.com.