By Ted LaBorde | Special to The Republican
WESTFIELD – The city’s new $7.5 million Senior Center will open to the public Monday for tours and inspection of the facility on Noble Street.
All formal Council on Aging and Senior Center programs and services at the new Westfield Senior Center at Mary Noble Estate will officially begin on Nov. 2, Council on Aging director Tina Gorman said on Friday.
A formal dedication and ribbon cutting for the center has been scheduled for Dec. 13, Gorman said.
“It has been quite hectic the past few days,” Gorman said of the moving in operation held this week.
“We want to get our seniors into the building, give them a tour of the facility and let them get acquainted with it before we actually start doing what we here to do for our senior population,” Gorman said.
Construction on the center was started last August by Forish Construction Inc. after years of discussions and planning by city officials for a new center. Talk of building a new center, to replace existing facilities on Main Street, started more than 30 years ago.
The city, through Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and the City Council, last year approved bonding for construction of the center on land that was donated to the city by the late Mary Noble.
The Friends of the Westfield Senior Center was charged with raising $500,000 towards furnishings and furniture for the center.
Gorman said the friends group has raised more than $400,000 of its goal and will continue to accept donations to fulfill that obligation.