Politics & Government

Mayor Lists Reasons for Ward Park Senior Center Location

The mayor has released a list of reasons for having Ward Park serve as the location for a new Senior Center.

The mayor is saying that locating a $7 million Senior Center at Ward Park is a win-win in a statement released yesterday along with answers to frequently asked questions about the project.

“This project is a win-win for all involved," said Mayor Arthur Vigeant in the release. "The existing field space will gain much needed enhancements and improvements and our seniors will benefit from a downtown location with easy access to more recreational space.”

A list of answers to many of the questions that have been brought up during neighborhood meetings on the subject are addressed in the FAQ — which is available on the city's website and we have uploaded along with this story.

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Many of the questions in the FAQ are similar to those brought up in a petition to have a new location for the senior center located. The petition was delivered to the City Council with 500 signatures — and forwarded to the mayor — on Monday.

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Among the issues addressed in the FAQ are the size of the center and how it will affect the functioning of the park as a place for recreation. The answers detail that the size, although smaller than a 2002 study called for, is in line with other area centers. The parking and access to the location will work and not disrupt activities at the park, according to the FAQ.

Many of the answers coincide with those given during a public meeting about locating the center in the park late last year. In that meeting, both the mayor and Public Works Commissioner Ronald LaFreniere said that the senior center will provide an opportunity to improve the park. That is a position the mayor reinforced in the FAQ and statement attached with its release.

“Ward Park will be a great new place for our seniors to enjoy,” said Mayor Vigeant. “It has the potential to be a true community park that all families, young and old, can utilize. Ward Park has a lot of unrealized potential and I’m confident the investments we would make through a new senior center is something we will all be proud of at the end of the day.”


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