The new Ansonia Police Department is also set to house a senior center and, assuming it doesn’t add to the overall cost of the project, offices for the fire marshal and fire chiefs (according to public statements in July).
ANSONIA — Construction of a new senior center downtown could get underway this month.
That’s according to Economic Development Director Sheila O’Malley, who said a contract for the job will be signed next week, now that the bid for the project was recently awarded.
The Board of Aldermen, at its Sept. 14 meeting, unanimously voted to award the contract to the low bidder, Olympus Construction, of Milford, for $906,000.
The initial senior center project estimate from several years ago was $500,000. The new center will share the building with a new police station at 65 Main St.
“Prices have gone up over the past four and a half years, and 65 Main St. is an enormous office building, not a pre-existing open floor plan,” O’Malley said. “All of the renovation work that will go into rehabbing the second floor has driven the project cost up. The space is also larger.”
The footprint for the new senior center has also since been expanded since voters approved it at November 2016 bond referendum, including a larger community center and gym, O’Malley said, driving up the project cost. The city’s Chief Financial Officer Kurt Miller, however, said the higher price tag will not impact taxpayers, as the city will use federal money it received from the American Rescue and Recovery Act to cover the increase.
According to Project Architect Mike Marcinek, the 8,500-square-foot senior center will boast, in part, a 3,000 square-foot open space for Bingo, lunches, large gatherings and more; multi-purpose room with glass dividing partition to make it smaller or larger as needed; administrative offices; large kitchen, access to gym facilities shared with police, a computer room, card lounge, arts and crafts room and more.
Ansonia is still awaiting word from Derby officials on whether they plan to join forces and create a regional senior center. Derby’s Chief of Staff Andrew Baklik said Tuesday a meeting date for the Derby Board of Aldermen/Women to cast a vote hasn’t yet been set. Senior citizens from both Derby and Ansonia weighed in last month on if they thought the cities should join forces for a shared senior center, and the majority agreed it makes sense.
Both Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti and Derby Mayor Richard Dziekan have voiced support for the merger. Derby’s share of the project would be about $300,000 up front, and the operating expenses moving forward would be shared by both municipalities.
The Dziekan administration hopes to get Derby’s $300,000 upfront back by selling the existing senior center building on Derby’s Main Street.
