Upper seniors will have to wait until spring to return to senior center

Written by Columb Higgins Friday, September 28, 2012 01:15 pm

By COLUMB HIGGINS
Staff Writer
SEAVILLE – It will be spring before renovations at the Upper Township Senior Center are complete.

In the meantime, Upper Township officials plan to speak with the county to improve bus service to the Ocean City Community Center, where local seniors are being transported while the senior center is closed, and determine whether some activities can be moved to the Upper Township Community Center.
Committeeman Tony Inserra said Monday that a group of seniors has complained to him, feeling “like they have lost their freedom.”
“They have to be bused to Ocean City,” he said. “When they are done there, they have to wait a couple hours for the bus to come back.”
Inserra asked if the county could run senior activities at the Upper Township Community Center, or if busing to Ocean City could be improved.
“Why can’t we provide these services in Upper Township?” he said.
Mayor Richard Palombo said he has spoken with county officials about the senior center renovations and plans for seniors here in the meantime. The decision to transport seniors to Ocean City was made because the community center there can facilitate the program, he said.
The Upper Township Community Center does not have a full kitchen, said Palombo. That means the senior meal program cannot be offered there, he said.
“We talked to the county about staffing the community center but because there isn’t a kitchen there they said they wouldn’t do it,” said Deputy Mayor Curtis Corson Jr.
“Department of Health requirements play into that,” said Palombo. “There are a lot of regulatory issues. Because of the population, the needs, it’s a little bit more than we can provide there.”
Inserra asked if it was possible to bring seniors to the Upper Township Community Center for programs other than meals. The senior center held card games, pool, a walking program, exercise, a sewing class, art instruction, Bingo, craft classes and other games.
Committee members said they would look into the matter. Palombo said the township would ask the county to improve transportation for seniors as well.
“(Committeeman) Ed Barr and I talked to county freeholders a little while ago and discussed stationing a county fare free bus here,” said Palombo. “They said they could do it, but it involves adding multiple routes. I’m not sure how quick it can get up and running.”
Earlier this year, Freeholder Kristine Gabor, who serves as director of Health and Human Services for Cape May County, detailed plans for work at the senior center during an Upper Township Committee meeting. She said the building will be renamed the Senior and Wellness Center, and will accommodate more services for seniors and the community as a whole.
Gabor said a corner office will be built inside the center that could be used to run flu clinics for the community, or hold confidential meetings. A new handicap accessible door will also be installed, along with a new roof and shingles, new siding and brick façade, new furniture, flooring, windows, ceiling tiles and a new kitchen.
The project is being funded through a $300,000 grant.
Barr has said the township and county are researching a possible partnership where the township would take over responsibility for the building and property and the county would staff it as a northern office for their health and wellness programs.
Palombo said flu shots and diabetes education could take place there.
The Senior and Wellness Center will also provide a modern space for seniors to participate in all the activities they have enjoyed in the past. Lunch will be served daily at the facility also.
Twenty-one percent of Cape May County’s population is over 65. The county maintains senior centers in Lower Township, Cape May Court House, North Wildwood, Ocean City and Upper Township.