By james art 
Wilmington – it was only a place for the solemn opening of the new Senior Center of Wilmington on Valentine’s Day.
The new senior center with 18,000 square feet at 130 Main St. (Route 38) Replaces the Buzzell senior center, a building built in 1935 as a school near the city, and has later been redirected for 39 years as a place to collect the city senior population in the city.
When reviewing the facilities in 2018, the center is considered to be already appropriate to support the needs of programming the adult services department and efforts have begun to start planning a new center. Among the many challenges in the old center included parking, accessibility and adequate space for administration and activities.
The lack of a sprinkler system and the presence of asbestos in the walls, along with the growing adult population, made it clear that the city should act in order to accommodate its inhabitants.
Wilmington voted at his special city meeting in November 2022 to transfer $ 6 million from his stabilization fund and occupies the remaining $ 11,246,561 for the project. This kept the project in the tax fee and did not require cancellation.
When construction offers are higher than expected due to inflation-related costs, the Election Board has appropriated $ 1.8 million from the ARPA (Rescue Rescue Plan Act) to cover the deficit.
After officially cutting the ribbon, residents were greeted for the opening ceremonies. The music participation included the Wilmington High School Group, the Orchestra and the ACAPELA group of the high school, which did not remain, along with Senior Center Fun singers.
The chairman of the Construction Committee, George Hooper, welcomed the residents and presented Terry Marthello, Director of Adult Services. Marseilo credit all the teams involved in the project for his success and outlines the steps in the process, which led them to the solemn opening.
She thanked Wilmington’s voters for making the center possible.
State Senator Barry Fiengold presented a proclamation from the Senate of Massachusetts, and a representative David Robertson presented a proclamation from the House of Representatives. Finegold mentioned former representative Jim Micel.
“I wish he was here to see this beautiful building,” said Fieignold of the longtime Wilmington resident and a state -owned representative who passed in 2018.
The Owner’s Project Manager Daniel Palment Planning Professionals The Senior Center Building Committee Members – Diane Allan, Lilia Maselli, Theresa Manganell, Denning Holloway, Greg Bendel, and Eric Slagle, who Along with Hooper and Marciello worked tirelessly to make sure there are no details left.
Palota said this team is the best group he worked with. Additional thanks came out to Dietz & Co., architects and J&S Construction. The Palot called on the residents to advocate for continuous funding to maintain the maintenance of the building on the way.
Choose a member of the board Gary Depalma speaks to the crowd.
“It was well spent money from a well -organized group,” Depalma said.
The project was also a budget on time, according to the committee member Diane Allen.
After the remarks, the residents were invited to tour the facility. The slideshow from the project was shown on a massive screen that will be used for films and bingo in the big hall. The brilliant new cuisine was visible, ready to serve dishes and support the many propaganda events provided by adult services.
The residents were invited to see the seminar, a training room, a library and a room for arts and crafts. The functional fitness “Fun Fit” instructor Paula Gudwin was impressed by the new training facilities.
“It will inspire people to come and enjoy the hours,” Gudwin said. “This is an example of what the new definition of active aging refers.”
Gudwin noted that the room has a most up -to -date sound system, cubes for personal belongings, a wall of mirrors, a workout bar and a very natural light.
Residents Linda Leighton and Phyllis Hillie were present with Hillie’s daughter, Megan Ray.
“We are absolutely blinded,” Hillie said. “I’m coming to play Majong and now I can hear.”
Leighton said the new facility was an inspiration and felt excited that there was a reason to come to check more activities. This mood was shared by many residents who have no longer gained access to the city’s stable programming.
In addition to indoor activities, the center has open facilities for Bocce and Pickelball.
Marceillo said: “This became possible by all the great teams and the residents of Wilmington who voted and did so. The fun has just started! “
Hooper said: “We had the opportunity that only comes once in life and wanted to do it right. This is the work of love; There was a sense of pride in this building from beginning to end. “
Hooper grew up in the city and noted that not only his father is able to take advantage of the center as a senior, but he himself is a senior now and is looking forward to enjoying the facility.