On June 13 the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center held a ground-breaking ceremony for the new addition to its senior center. Several local leaders, including Stonington First Selectman Ed Haberek, attended the ceremony and witnessed the preliminary work on what is slated to be approximately a six-month project.
Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center Executive Director Vicki Anderson is one of many who are thrilled to see the senior center get a much-deserved upgrade.
“They have dug a big hole and knocked down the retaining wall, and initially there is a lot of progress being made,” Anderson said. “We really think that by Thanksgiving the building will be up and be ready for full use…When it’s done it’s just going to add greatly to the health and well-being of the community. And specifically for seniors it will be a place of health and of socialization. We really want to be on the forefront of all the latest technology, programs, and events that will keep seniors healthy and connected with one another.”
With the new addition, the senior center will include an extra 3,000 square feet, an elevator, and a new, larger kitchen to replace the current pantry kitchen. While construction is underway, the Westerly Senior Center and the Ocean Community YMCA in Mystic and Westerly have agreed to host many of the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center events free of charge.