Community Corner
Worcester Library, Senior Center ID'd As Cooling Centers With Expansion Pending
An expansion of cooling and heating centers in Worcester is still in the works, according to city officials.
WORCESTER, MA — With a potential heat wave bearing down on the Worcester area this week, city officials are urging residents to head to the Worcester Public Library or senior center for cool air.
This week's heat wave comes 18 months after the city council asked for a report on a possible expansion of heating and cooling centers, and six months after city officials described a plan to use local colleges for the centers.
This week, the library and senior center will be open normal hours when the heat wave is expected to peak on Thursday and Friday. Temperatures could hit the low 90s in Worcester, but combined with high humidity, the heat index could feel closer to 100, according to the National Weather Service.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The library closes at 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and the senior center at 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Both open at 9 a.m.
"Expansion of services will be assessed and made available as necessary," the city said in a news release Tuesday.
Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The expansion of heating and cooling centers in Worcester dates to February 2022, when At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen asked then-city manager Ed Augustus for a "report concerning the feasibility of implementing additional warming centers and cooling centers throughout the city." The council voted 11-0 to receive that report.
After Augustus stepped down in spring 2022, City Manager Eric Batista inherited the order. At the Jan. 10 meeting, Worcester emergency management director Charles Goodwin and Batista reported back to the council, saying they were about 60 days from finalizing agreements with local colleges to serve as heating and cooling centers.
As of this week, those agreements still had not been finalized, Batista's office said. Batista's plan is to focus on new heating and cooling centers in city council districts 1, 4 and 5, a spokesman said. District 2 has the main Worcester library, and District 3 has the senior center.
The WPL is located at 3 Salem Square, and the senior center is at 128 Providence St.
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