The East Windsor Township Council has awarded a $2.59 million contract to a New Milford contractor for the expansion of the East Windsor Senior Center on Lannigan Boulevard.
The Township Council awarded the contract to Develop Builders, which was the lowest qualified bidder, at its Aug. 18 meeting. Develop Builders was one of eight bidders for the job.
This is the second time that East Windsor Township advertised for bids. The council rejected 14 bids at its July 21 meeting because they were over budget.
“I am very happy that we got bids that were acceptable. We can move forward with the project,” Councilman John Zoller said.
There are several steps that must be taken before construction can begin on the expansion, but Mayor Janice S. Mironov said work on the project will begin as soon as possible.
The expansion calls for a 5,250-square-foot addition to the multipurpose room at the rear of the building, and a 785-square-foot addition in front of the building for an exercise room.
The expansion is needed because of the increased growth in membership, Mironov said. It will allow the center to offer more classes, programs and special events for the growing number of senior citizens who frequently use the center.
The center serves as a major focal point in the community, Mironov said.
“The senior center offers our senior citizens a great place to engage in a variety of recreational, educational and health-related programs and activities, as well as a place to hang out and socialize,” she said.
East Windsor’s original senior center was in a small house on Dutch Neck Road near the Lee Turkey Farm, Mironov said. Everyone was together in the one-room building, whether they were playing cards or engaged in other activities.
But the burgeoning senior citizen population was outgrowing the building.
The chief executive officer of Springpoint Senior Living, the successor company to Presbyterian Homes of New Jersey, agreed to donate land to East Windsor for a new senior citizens center. The company operates the Meadow Lakes continuing care retirement community.
The chief executive officer made it clear that the company was not going to pay for the building, so township officials set out to search for grants.
The township identified grants that were available from Mercer County, the state and the federal government. The rest of the money to pay for the facility was raised privately.
Ground was broken and the building was constructed. The East Windsor Senior Center opened its doors in 2003.