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Senior Center critic urges cheaper fixes, flags possible health and accessibility issues
Summary
A member of the Committee on Aging and the Board of Finance urged Avon Town Council to forgo a roughly $435,000 Senior Center office renovation in favor of lower-cost reconfigurations, and flagged sanitary and accessibility concerns including dirty disposable table coverings, a poorly drained steam table, and broken handicap door paddles.
Kathy Randall, who serves on Avon’s Committee on Aging and was recently appointed to the Board of Finance, told the Town Council that she voted against an approximately $435,000 construction plan for the Senior Center and urged alternatives that would cost substantially less.
Randall said $100,000 in grant funds that had been earmarked for seniors’ programming has been used for social services and that the big construction package would deliver little direct benefit to many seniors — particularly those on fixed incomes. She proposed reconfiguring an underused lounge to create two workstations and enclosing them where needed, moving the Social Services administrator into a smaller office, and relocating secretarial work to the lounge — measures she said would be faster and far less costly than the proposed 750-square-foot suite that the renovation plan envisions.
"One office would be used only 40% of the work week for the part-timer," Randall said, and she questioned a construction cost estimate that amounts to roughly $445 per square foot, which she contrasted with contractor estimates for typical house construction.
Randall also raised facility-maintenance and health concerns: she said disposable tablecloths were tattered and unsanitary, that a steam table was not being properly drained and had standing water, that the dishwasher is broken, and that handicap paddles at the main entrance are broken, preventing disabled access. She urged the Council to prioritize immediate repairs and cleanliness to ensure safety and access before committing to major office construction.
Chairman Dan Polhamus thanked Randall; Council members said they would follow up on the reported health and access issues and consider her suggestions as the Board of Finance and Council finalize decisions.
Why it matters: The Senior Center serves lower-income and older residents who rely on the facility for meals and services. Accessibility and sanitation problems may affect safety and the ability of seniors to use the building.
