Record-Journal
09-14-2007, 11:19 PM
MERIDEN -- With age comes wisdom, the saying goes, but age also tends to slow one down, and some seniors say that limited parking and a dangerous crosswalk to the Max E. Muravnick Senior Center should be corrected — even if it means building a new center.
Nancy Flagg, who was sitting down to a salad at the senior center’s cafeteria Friday, said the city could use a new site.
“The parking is bad, and it’s dangerous in front,” she said. “They should build a new senior center where the Hub was. That would be an ideal place.”
The city bought the building at 22 W. Main St. for a senior center in 1977. It spent $1.9 million in 1997 to renovate the building, according to John Hogarth, the city’s director of senior affairs.
Hanover Street runs behind the senior center. The parking lot across the street has some spots that are reserved for the center after a conflict with police, whose cruisers and personal cars share space in the lot.
The lot is insufficient for the number of people who want to visit the senior center, a number of seniors said. And even if the seniors can get a spot, they must cross Hanover Street.
Some say the walk limit is too brief, which makes it difficult for elderly people and those using wheelchairs or walkers.
“It’s real bad,” Marie Murphy said. “My friend almost got hit by a car because the light changes too quick. You can’t walk fast. You can’t run. You’re walking with a cane. If you don’t get there an hour ahead of time there’s no room. The police cars are there.”
At the main entrance to the center on West Main Street, there is a loading area for two minibuses. Some residents, however, said backed up traffic or trucks often block this access point, meaning seniors have to walk from farther away, and some seniors with handicaps can’t get in at all, they said.
“There’s a handicapped lady who can’t come to a lot of things because she can’t walk from the lot,” said Ethel Rioux, who was also eating lunch there Friday. “A lot of people can’t walk. It would be great if there was a good drop-off.”
Hogarth said the center has enough space at 30,000 square feet but agreed that a different location might help.
“The location is good because we’re downtown and close to the senior apartments,” he said. “But there’s no question that there are issues with pedestrian safety. I wish there were an answer to the parking problem. There are more people coming to the downtown, and parking is tight.”
There may be no good way to correct the parking situation at the site, he said.
“What would be desirable would be if there were a designated number of spaces — at least 50 — reserved for the senior center. But it discourages people to come to the senior center if they have to worry about where they would park. If the city had enough money to put something in the Hub location, that would be a wonderful thing,” Hogarth said.
Richard Thomas, a Realtor whose mother goes to the senior center five days a week, said that while the center offers great programs, the location creates a dangerous
situation. “You drop someone off there, and if there are other vehicles, you have to worry about her stepping out into traffic.The traffic is horrible there,” he said.
He suggested the Veterans Memorial Hospital building on Paddock Avenue for a senior center.
There would be plenty of parking and no crosswalk dangers, and the one-story building would be ideal for seniors. The city could rent parts of the building to businesses that provide services for seniors, such as doctors, hearing aid retailers, and blood diagnostic services.
When the high cost of repairing the building’s roof and air-conditioning system was brought up, he said it was time for the city to spend some money on its senior residents.
“Whenever there’s an election, politicians love to parade through the senior center,” he said. “But what are they doing for the seniors? Maybe they need to go to bat for them. How about giving them a first-class facility like Wallingford has?”
Wallingford’s senior center overlooks the old Community Lake on Washington Street. It has a large great room, plenty of parking, and outdoor walking and recreation areas.
City Councilor Patricia Lynes said the City Council is always mindful of senior citizens. “They’re one of our priorities,” she said.
“We’ve heard that this is interest in perhaps a change of venue. There have been suggestions that we might want to entertain putting a senior center on the Hub site. That’s all up for discussion.” There are, however, no formal plans to begin looking for a new site, she said.
The Hub building — originally a shopping plaza — was recently razed, and the city is trying to determine what to do with the large downtown parcel.
Not everyone is interested in a new center, however.
Teresa Penkrot and Helen Kaferle sat chatting on the lower floor of the center Friday.
Both complimented the free programs and said they had no problem with the center or its crosswalk, though they said they could understand how some of the older seniors might have trouble.
For Murphy, who walks using a cane, better parking and crossing can’t come soon enough.
“I myself drove back home because I couldn’t get a parking spot,” she said. “We should go somewhere with one floor. Make it look homey. You want to go to a nice building and have some soft chair to sit in. There’s nothing inviting there at all. It’s all drab.”
Nancy Flagg, who was sitting down to a salad at the senior center’s cafeteria Friday, said the city could use a new site.
“The parking is bad, and it’s dangerous in front,” she said. “They should build a new senior center where the Hub was. That would be an ideal place.”
The city bought the building at 22 W. Main St. for a senior center in 1977. It spent $1.9 million in 1997 to renovate the building, according to John Hogarth, the city’s director of senior affairs.
Hanover Street runs behind the senior center. The parking lot across the street has some spots that are reserved for the center after a conflict with police, whose cruisers and personal cars share space in the lot.
The lot is insufficient for the number of people who want to visit the senior center, a number of seniors said. And even if the seniors can get a spot, they must cross Hanover Street.
Some say the walk limit is too brief, which makes it difficult for elderly people and those using wheelchairs or walkers.
“It’s real bad,” Marie Murphy said. “My friend almost got hit by a car because the light changes too quick. You can’t walk fast. You can’t run. You’re walking with a cane. If you don’t get there an hour ahead of time there’s no room. The police cars are there.”
At the main entrance to the center on West Main Street, there is a loading area for two minibuses. Some residents, however, said backed up traffic or trucks often block this access point, meaning seniors have to walk from farther away, and some seniors with handicaps can’t get in at all, they said.
“There’s a handicapped lady who can’t come to a lot of things because she can’t walk from the lot,” said Ethel Rioux, who was also eating lunch there Friday. “A lot of people can’t walk. It would be great if there was a good drop-off.”
Hogarth said the center has enough space at 30,000 square feet but agreed that a different location might help.
“The location is good because we’re downtown and close to the senior apartments,” he said. “But there’s no question that there are issues with pedestrian safety. I wish there were an answer to the parking problem. There are more people coming to the downtown, and parking is tight.”
There may be no good way to correct the parking situation at the site, he said.
“What would be desirable would be if there were a designated number of spaces — at least 50 — reserved for the senior center. But it discourages people to come to the senior center if they have to worry about where they would park. If the city had enough money to put something in the Hub location, that would be a wonderful thing,” Hogarth said.
Richard Thomas, a Realtor whose mother goes to the senior center five days a week, said that while the center offers great programs, the location creates a dangerous
situation. “You drop someone off there, and if there are other vehicles, you have to worry about her stepping out into traffic.The traffic is horrible there,” he said.
He suggested the Veterans Memorial Hospital building on Paddock Avenue for a senior center.
There would be plenty of parking and no crosswalk dangers, and the one-story building would be ideal for seniors. The city could rent parts of the building to businesses that provide services for seniors, such as doctors, hearing aid retailers, and blood diagnostic services.
When the high cost of repairing the building’s roof and air-conditioning system was brought up, he said it was time for the city to spend some money on its senior residents.
“Whenever there’s an election, politicians love to parade through the senior center,” he said. “But what are they doing for the seniors? Maybe they need to go to bat for them. How about giving them a first-class facility like Wallingford has?”
Wallingford’s senior center overlooks the old Community Lake on Washington Street. It has a large great room, plenty of parking, and outdoor walking and recreation areas.
City Councilor Patricia Lynes said the City Council is always mindful of senior citizens. “They’re one of our priorities,” she said.
“We’ve heard that this is interest in perhaps a change of venue. There have been suggestions that we might want to entertain putting a senior center on the Hub site. That’s all up for discussion.” There are, however, no formal plans to begin looking for a new site, she said.
The Hub building — originally a shopping plaza — was recently razed, and the city is trying to determine what to do with the large downtown parcel.
Not everyone is interested in a new center, however.
Teresa Penkrot and Helen Kaferle sat chatting on the lower floor of the center Friday.
Both complimented the free programs and said they had no problem with the center or its crosswalk, though they said they could understand how some of the older seniors might have trouble.
For Murphy, who walks using a cane, better parking and crossing can’t come soon enough.
“I myself drove back home because I couldn’t get a parking spot,” she said. “We should go somewhere with one floor. Make it look homey. You want to go to a nice building and have some soft chair to sit in. There’s nothing inviting there at all. It’s all drab.”