Senior Center Expansion Moving Forward

The highly anticipated expansion project on the South Brunswick Senior Center is proceeding, with the contract for the work anticipated to be finalized by the end of the month.

The bid for the project will be awarded on Aug. 28, Township Manager Bernard Hvozdovic announced at a council meeting last month. approved an ordinance that appropriates $2.9 million for both the expansion to the center and for lights to be installed on the softball fields at .

Both projects will be funded by the township's Open Space Trust Fund, with Middlesex County providing a 50 percent match from county open space funds.

"This project doesn't raise taxes and it has no impact on the general budget," said Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz earlier this year. "The town continues to grow and we've seen a dramatic increase in the people using the Senior Center. A lot of residents are reaching that 55 and over age group, so we've seen more and more people taking part in the programs we offer."

The expansion plan calls for about 5,000-square feet to be added near the rear entrance of the existing auditorium at the Senior Center.

"We're going to be building a wing on to the back of the building for a wellness center that will host physical fitness activities, health and wellness lectures, and doctor screenings," said Director of the Office on Aging Christine Wildemuth in March. "This will all be health and fitness oriented. We do some of that now, but we just don't have a lot of space for it."

Wildemuth said the expansion also includes a small room for low impact exercise equipment that allows members to work out, in addition to exam rooms. The township is working on a partnership with a local hospital to provide doctors and nurses, who will perform various health screenings.

The Senior Center currently has about 3,100 active members, Wildemuth said. The center, which was built in the 1970’s, was long overdue for an upgrade, according to Councilman Charles Carley.

South Brunswick's  since 2000, according to the 2010 census. Of the nearly 44,000 people living in South Brunswick, about 22 percent are between the ages of 45 and 64-years-old, and about 7 percent are over the age of 65.

--

Follow Patch on Facebook. 

Visit www.facebook.com/SouthBrunswickPatch and like us. You can also find us on Twitter at twitter.com/SBrunswickPatch.