On March 9, representatives of Hopewell Valley Senior Advisory Board are expected to make presentation about proposed new full-service senior center
By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
Monday night’s Pennington Borough Council meeting was postponed until March 9 due to the winter storm.
At the March 9 session, representatives of the Hopewell Valley Senior Advisory Board (SAB) are expected to confer with council on a proposed new full-service senior center.
The SAB met with the Hopewell Township Committee on the matter Feb. 23 and is expected to sit down eventually with the Hopewell Borough Council, as well.
The Valley’s current senior center, on Reading Street in Pennington, is 2,700 square feet. It was built as a Boy Scout lodge over 50 years ago. Neither its restrooms nor its parking lot are ADA compliant (American Disabilities Act).
The center has only one room. SAB Chairman Larry Mansier and Vice Chairman Bill Farmer say restriction to one room “is limiting” because having only one activity at a time necessitates continual setting up and breaking down of equipment.
Seniors constitute 21.5 percent of the population of Hopewell Valley, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Local surveys have shown many seniors want a full-service center, SAB officials say. They noted all municipalities in Mercer County, excluding those in Hopewell Valley, have a full-service senior center. The average size of those centers is 10,000 square feet, they said.
In 2008, Hopewell Township hired the Ewing-based firm of Clarke, Caton and Hintz to produce an architectural design for a senior center in Hopewell Valley. Estimated figures involved in that design include: 11,748 square feet (12 rooms — five multi-purpose and five special purpose and two offices); cost of building if it is one story high, $4.9 million; cost of building if it is two stories, $6 million. Two stories might be necessary if the tract of land chosen is too small for a one-story center.
The estimated annual operating costs of the building are $210,000, including $131,000 for a director. Some of these costs could be covered by grants from outside sources, Messrs. Mansier and Farmer said recently.
An additional cost would be land, purchased or leased. The most likely location is a 13-acre tract of land in Pennington owned by Capital Health Systems (CHS). CHS may sell the land to the Hopewell Valley YMCA, which has said it is agreeable to putting both a community center and senior center, in separate buildings, on the site. All construction would have to be approved by the Pennington Planning Board after the Borough Council enacted whatever zoning changes are necessary, Messrs. Mansier and Farmer said last week.
Mercer County matching grants could provide $1,500,000 to the three municipalities toward the cost of the center, the SAB presentation said. More funding could be obtained from state Small Cities Grants, legislative appropriations at the county, state and federal level and donations from foundations and individuals.

