From the Times – Space matters – Lawrence Senior Center celebrates its expansion
LAWRENCE – Mae Hirschfield is no stranger to ribbon-cuttings, particularly those at the Lawrence Senior Center. She was there in 1991 when the first ribbon was cut to open the center, and she was there last night to celebrate the long-awaited ceremony marking the completion of its expansion.
The renovation added 900 square feet to the building, space that will accommodate the fast-growing senior-citizen population that uses it.
Township Mayor Michael S. Powers noted that since the center was built, approximately eight new developments have been built in the area, resulting in what he called “a tremendous need for expansion.”
The expansion includes a new game room and computer lab.
The Rev. Frederick Mechowski, pastor of Our Savior Parish in Lawrence and chaplain for the center, dedicated the building at its first ribbon-cutting.
“I just love the place,” he said last night. “My recycled teenagers, I call them.”
Anna Tomko, 92, comes to the center every Thursday and Friday for lunch and bingo. She, too, attended that 1991 ribbon-cutting.
“It’s good to be here with everybody,” she said. “They’re like family.”
The expansion will allow more space for the many activities at the center, said Kuulei Lyden, leader of the center’s Hawaiian dance group.
Another activity group, the Lawrence Community Concert Band, rehearses in the center. Ron Taglairino, director of the band since 2000, said the center is like a home to the band.
Veronica Pickering, chairwoman of the Lawrence Township Senior Executive Committee, noted the center’s busy schedule, saying “the line-dancing class is so full now you can’t even get a place to stand.”
The same was true when the crowd gathered in the hallway last night and cameras flashed as Powers, surrounded by township, county, and state officials, cut the ribbon tied across the renovation, officially opening it to the Lawrence community.
The addition was launched when Lawrence awarded a $731,900 contract to McCauley Construction Co. Inc. Completion of the project was made possible by a matching grant from Mercer County.
“Without the effort of the county, this project probably would not have been able to take place,” Mayor Powers said.
As the concert band began to play, and community members made their way toward the refreshments, Kay Palazey, vice president of the center’s Club 2, commented on the beauty of the addition.
“We’re always looking for new senior members, and they should really come and see the beautiful new center,” she said.