Photo by Eugene Driscoll
The new police department under construction at 65 Main St. in Ansonia. A senior center is scheduled to be built inside.
DERBY — Do you have questions or simply want more information on plans to close the Derby Senior Center and transfer members to a new facility in Ansonia? Then attend a forum on the subject 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 26 in Derby.
The public has two options to attend the meeting:
1. Show up in person at Derby Middle School (health officials on the federal, state & local level all recommend wearing masks at an event such as this because of COVID-19)
OR
2. Watch by logging into the meeting using Zoom video conferencing software. The meeting ID is 893 0091 9973. Click here for additional Zoom info.
Mayor Rich Dziekan administration wants to close the Derby Senior Center on Main Street and give the members the option of enrolling in a new senior center that is under construction on Main Street in Ansonia, within a new police department building.
The Dziekan administration says the new location is a better facility and will increase program options for the seniors.
According to discussions held in June, Derby’s share of the approximately $700,000 senior center construction project would be about $300,000. Both cities would then split the operational costs of the combined senior going forward.
The Dziekan administration hopes to get Derby’s $300,000 upfront back by selling the existing building on Derby’s Main Street.
Both Mayor Dziekan and Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti’s administration support the proposal.
The Ansonia police officers’ union has objected to the plan, saying having seniors in a police station is not safe. Click here for a Valley Indy interview with the president of the union.
Derby Democrats have also expressed some misgivings, saying they wanted more info — and specifically asking that a forum be held in Derby, in addition to a forum in June that was held in Ansonia.
