SUNDERLAND — With annual Town Meetings on the horizon, Deerfield, Sunderland and Whately town officials are preparing for the possibility of the South County Senior Center relocating to the office building at 112 Amherst Road.
The center currently splits its various activities and events between its 22 Amherst Road location in Sunderland, the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, Whately Town Hall, Cadence Yoga Center, the South Deerfield Polish American Citizens’ Club and Deerfield Town Hall, leading to “dispersed programming that [is] confusing to seniors, and it’s an inefficient use of staff time,” Joyce Palmer-Fortune, who chairs both the Senior Center Board of Oversight and Whately Select Board, said during a joint meeting with the three towns’ finance committees and selectboards on March 23.
With figures and charts, Palmer-Fortune compared several options that the Board of Oversight has considered as potential new homes for the Senior Center.
According to the presentation, constructing a new center would cost $15 to 20 million; renovating and converting Deerfield Town Hall at 8 Conway St. would come to $5 million; and renovating and renting the 112 Amherst Road space would cost $168,000 per year. The lease would include renovations, real estate taxes, water district taxes, hazard insurance, maintenance and repairs, landscaping, snow removal and any tax increases due to renovations.
After five years at 112 Amherst Road, the South County Senior Center would have the right of first refusal to buy the property.
The three towns would split the cost of moving, with Deerfield paying 54%, Sunderland paying 28% and Whately paying 18%, a formula in the new intermunicipal agreement based on usage data over the past 30 years, along with 2020 census statistics.
When it comes to the impact on the average tax bill for a single-family home, pursuing new construction would increase taxes by about $240 per year, $100 per year if the board pursues the Deerfield Town Hall renovations and $50 for the 112 Amherst Road location.
“I don’t think we will ever be able to do better than that number,” Palmer-Fortune said of the 112 Amherst Road location.
Later in the meeting, Deerfield Finance Committee Chair Julie Chalfant described Palmer-Fortune’s presentation of the costs to renovate and move into Deerfield Town Hall as inaccurate, claiming that a $5 million renovation would not be necessary because the building is move-in ready with the exception of “really minimal renovations.”
“The building needs substantially more than I think your Finance Committee thinks,” Palmer-Fortune responded. “I think our seniors deserve better than that.”
Palmer-Fortune argued that if the same money needed to relocate to 112 Amherst Road were to be used at Deerfield Town Hall, it would be “nowhere near the quality” of the 112 Amherst Road building, leaving out key updates like additional bathrooms.
Palmer-Fortune described moving to the 112 Amherst Road location as a “good deal,” claiming it costs less than renovating a town-owned building, spans 10,150 more square feet than 22 Amherst Road, includes 45 parking spaces and contains private rooms for one-on-one conversations about the Senior Center’s services.
“This place isn’t perfect, but it’s so much better than what we have now that I think it’s really worth us seriously finding a way to fund it within our communities,” Palmer-Fortune said of 112 Amherst Road.
Sunderland Selectboard Chair Nathaniel Waring stressed the long search for a new home for the Senior Center, calling the 112 Amherst Road property’s availability “godsent.”
“It’s hard to swallow an increase of this size,” Waring said.
Following Palmer-Fortune and Deerfield Selectboard Chair Trevor McDaniel’s recommendation, the Sunderland Finance Committee and Selectboard folded the cost of relocating to 112 Amherst Road into the recommended $800,000 override.
Members of the Deerfield Selectboard and Finance Committee are also considering proposing an override to cover the cost of the Senior Center moving to 112 Amherst Road.
Sunderland Finance Committee member Dylan Korpita asked about future budget growth if the three towns were to vote to fund the 112 Amherst Road relocation. In response, South County Senior Center Director Jennifer Ferrara said the centralized location would allow the center to offer more programming without hiring more staff.
During public comment, Deerfield resident John Paciorek Sr., who has served on multiple boards, spoke out against the 112 Amherst Road project, calling it “probably one of the worst deals I’ve seen so far in my career of public service.” He criticized the Board of Oversight’s determination of the necessary Deerfield Town Hall renovations.
“You don’t have to do what you’re telling us you have to do, you just want it,” Paciorek said. “There’s a difference between a want and a need.”
Several residents across the three towns, however, expressed support for the proposed 112 Amherst Road relocation.
“What I see in [112 Amherst Road] is incorporating the growth that we’ve had. … If you have a good space, it will service more people,” Julie Cavacco of Deerfield said. “I would like the population to be able to weigh in on this. I think that’s the most important thing, because a lot of people are not here.”
Deerfield residents Doris Bardwell and Carol Pelis Manley stressed the importance of the Senior Center as a place where seniors can socialize.
“Breaking bread with friends nourishes the heart and soul throughout our entire lives, including old age,” Bardwell said. “As we grow older, we start losing spouses, beloved family members and dear friends, but our need for close relationships and community continues if we are to thrive.”
“I think we have been overlooked long enough,” added longtime Senior Center member Maryann Sadoski. “I think it’s our turn to be considered a priority rather than always being pushed down to the bottom of the ladder.”
