Grant to back new East Windsor senior center
Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR — East Windsor Township will receive $500,000 for a new community center for senior citizens as part of a new Mercer County initiative called Mercer Seniors 2000, according to East Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov.
The grant was announced at a news conference held Thursday morning (March 30) by Mercer County freeholders.
“I’m still excited,” Mayor Mironov said, indicating that she had just heard about the money.
The grant must be matched by funding from federal, state, local or private sources, but Mayor Mironov indicated that “it is my intention” to “maximize” the grant by finding the matching funds.
Present at the news conference at the Ewing Township Seniors Center were Freeholder President Tony Mack, Vice President Brian Hughes and Freeholder Ann Cannon, a resident of East Windsor.
Mercer Seniors 2000 will be an ongoing effort to provide annual capital funding of $1.5 million for municipalities to improve the quality and extent of their services to senior citizens. A variety of capital projects could be funded, from new construction to provision of Internet access. Each year funding will be limited to three municipalities and the amount to each municipality will be limited to $500,000.
East Windsor, Ewing and Hamilton will receive funding from the program in this year’s county capital budget. When asked how these three municipalities were chosen, Mr. Mack replied, “They asked first.”
Mayor Mironov said, “I’m a big ‘asker.’ It never hurts to ask.”
The township has already received $300,000 in state funding for the seniors’ center and a grant of land from Presbyterian Homes near Lanning Boulevard for the project.
“We’re about there,” in terms of funding for the new center, Mayor Mironov confirmed. The proposed center will replace the present facility on Dutch Neck Road, which is a former house converted to a library then converted to a seniors’ center. The present building provides neither the space nor the variety of rooms and facilities that Mayor Mironov would like to see in a center for East Windsor’s seniors. Mayor Mironov envisions a one-story building with space of about 7,500 to 10,000 square feet. She would like to see spaces for a variety of activities reflecting the variety of interests area seniors have: Internet access sites, a lecture room, space for parties and playing cards.