The Madison Senior Center Aspires To Be Community Hub [VIDEO]

Joseph Petrella, the town's senior services supervisor, knows that not everyone gets excited about the prospect of going to a senior center.

That's about to change, he says. He predicts that once people get a closer look at the new center, which should be fully open within the next month or two once it has its full certificate of occupancy from the town, that people will love it.

"Many people believe that a senior center is a place where they don't belong," he wrote in the most recent issue of Trends and Traditions, the town's newsletter for seniors. "Some feel it is a place of inactive, immobile people who are past their prime or don't have anything else to do. The belief that a senior center is any one of those things may have been true in the past, but a new vision for senior centers is emerging in American society and the town of Madison has positioned itself to be in the forefront of this new era."

Fully equipped, located close to downtown, school

The new senior center has meeting rooms, a library with a fireplace and bookshelves, an exercise room with two big-screen televisions, a computer room, offices where people can have private conversations, a fully equipped kitchen, and a generously sized cafe/dining area where the sun will flood in on nice days.

In addion to the money the town has put in on the project, several grouns and individuals have contributed as well. The Women's Club of Madison made donations to support the library, Michael J. Maloney and Macdara MacColl made donations to support the cafe, and donations were made in memory of Peter and Catherine Muller Doffek to support the conference room.

It is located close to the downtown, and not too far from the town green. It has a large parking lot. And it's within walking distance to Island Avenue School, where town officials hope to set up an Adopt A Grandparent/Adopt A Child program, which would allow seniors and youngsters engage in activities together, such as reading or planting bulbs.

The senior center was built, along with the town's new ambulance garage, for $5.5 million and has been several years in the making.

"We can offer things we've never been able to offer before"

Petrella says the center will be available for activities, meetings, educational programs, and physical fitness programs including billiards leagues, tai chi classes, computer courses, dance classes, arts and crafts, card leagues, book clubs, movies, historical talks, and more.

Selectman Diane Stadterman, who served on the senior center/ambulance garage building committee, said Monday the building is almost ready now, and that is in the process of doing a soft opening, where selected events will be held. The goal is to have it fully open by January. She and other town officials hope to see use of the building grow over time.

"Over the first six months after it opens, I think you'll find people using it more and more," she said. "We have a unique opportunity here with all of the meeting space and the cafe. We can offer things we've never been able to offer before."

The Senior Commission has planned an open house planned for the 9th of December with a formal ribbon cutting in January. December will be a soft opening with programs beginning gradually. The plan is to be totally geared up in the 1st quarter of 2012, Stadterman said.