At least a dozen seniors attended the council's regular meeting to express displeasure with the move, claiming it would present a roadblock to the long-awaited Senior Center and cause an inter-generational conflict in the city.
The lot on Noble Street (seen at back) is the planned site of the new Westfield Senior Center. Murphy Circle and Danek Drive are roads leading into the Westfield Housing Authority's Dolan-Ely Apartments.WESTFIELD — An attempt by some city councilors to seek a Proposition 2½ exclusion for costs of building a new Senior Center drew the ire of senior citizens Thursday night.
At least a dozen seniors attended the council’s regular meeting to express displeasure with the move, claiming it would present a roadblock to the long-awaited Senior Center and cause an inter-generational conflict in the city.
Following debate, Councilor Agma Sweeney withdrew her name as a sponsor of the proposal and Councilor John J. Beltrandi III, another sponsor, voted against moving the question to committee for further study. In the end the request, also sponsored by Councilors Christopher Keefe, David Flaherty and Mary L. O’Connell, was defeated with only those three in support.
Tina GormanSeveral seniors, as well as city councilors, expressed surprise at the motion, noting that construction of a new Senior Center, in planning for more than 10 years, is moving forward and that Mayor Daniel M. Knapik has committed to seeking bonding for the project in the near future.
Council on Aging director Tina Gorman said the project was initiated in 1997 by a petition from seniors. The estimated cost is $6 million to $7 million, the project is now in the design phase and a site has been selected on Noble Street. She also noted Westfield’s senior population is now more than 8,000.
David A. FlahertyFormer City Councilor John Leary Jr. called the Proposition 2½ request “a strange way to attack a major issue. Bonding is the way to go on this.”
Thomas Humphrey and William Thompson, both officers in the recently formed Friends of the Senior Center, pointed out that many volunteers have committed to a fund drive to finance furniture and fixtures of the new center and that seniors have always paid property taxes and supported other projects in the city.
Flaherty defended the Proposition 2½ request, arguing “this is not a referendum on a new Senior Center and the city’s ability to build one. The goal is to get the money to pay for this.”
Mary L. O'Connell“The council supports a new Senior Center and this request is out of frustration. We want to kick start this project,” O’Connell said.
Keefe, who serves as council president, said the public vote would be on a debt exclusion “that will allow us to exceed the tax limit. It would have guaranteed a stream of funding for the new Senior Center.”
The council, at a June 27 special meeting, rejected a similar Proposition 2½ override request for the Nov. 2 state election ballot, sponsored by Flaherty, to raise an additional $2.5 million for School Department expenses.
Ward 5 Councilor Richard E. Onofrey Jr. said the request would “pit senior citizens against other residents. I don’t think any override is the way to do this.”