Politics & Government
Senior Center Expansion Bid to be Awarded Tuesday
A 5,000-sqaure foot addition to the South Brunswick Senior Center will provide for a health and wellness area.
The expansion project for the South Brunswick Senior Center is moving closer to reality.
The Township Council announced Tuesday evening that a bid for the project will be awarded at the next meeting on Sept. 11. approved an ordinance appropriating $2.9 million for both the expansion to the center and for lights to be installed on the softball fields at .
Both projects are funded by the township's Open Space Trust Fund, with Middlesex County providing a 50 percent match from county open space funds.
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"This project doesn't raise taxes and it has no impact on the general budget," said Public Affairs Coordinator Ron Schmalz earlier this year. "The town continues to grow and we've seen a dramatic increase in the people using the Senior Center. A lot of residents are reaching that 55 and over age group, so we've seen more and more people taking part in the programs we offer."
The expansion plan calls for about 5,000-square feet to be added near the rear entrance of the existing auditorium at the Senior Center. Director of the Office on Aging Christine Wildemuth said the expansion includes a small room for low impact exercise equipment that allows members to work out, in addition to exam rooms. The township is working on a partnership with a local hospital to provide doctors and nurses, who will perform various health screenings.
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The wellness center will also host physical fitness activities, health and wellness lectures, and doctor screenings.
The Senior Center currently has about 3,100 active members, Wildemuth said. The center, which was built in the 1970’s, was long overdue for an upgrade, according to Councilman Charles Carley.
South Brunswick's since 2000, according to the 2010 census. Of the nearly 44,000 people living in South Brunswick, about 22 percent are between the ages of 45 and 64-years-old, and about 7 percent are over the age of 65.
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