Council Approves Interim Senior Center

The City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a proposal calling for use of the Community Campus as an interim Senior Center space.

The Mark Wentworth Home notified the city and its clients in January that it plans to close the Adult Day Program at the Community Campus at 100 Campus Drive, just off Route 1. The Mark Wentworth Home offered the city the use of its 2,400-square-foot, 2-room adult day program space for use as an interim senior center through the end of its lease on Oct. 19, 2015. The Mark Wentworth Home would continue to pay the lease until then.

Mayor Robert Lister stressed that the proposal is "temporary with a capital T and interim with a capital I." Long term, he said the council wants to continue looking at redeveloping the Paul A. Doble Army Reserve Center as a permanent senior center.

"We appreciate wanting to do something with our seniors," Lister said. "They've asked for this. They've asked for a gathering place."

The plan is to hold a soft opening at the Community Campus space on May 6, with 3 days a week of programming, and a grand opening on July 7, with 5 days a week of programming.