Cumberland assembling committee to oversee Seniors project

CUMBERLAND — The Cumberland Town Council next month will consider appointments to a building committee that will oversee a project to repair and renovate the Senior Center on Diamond Hill Road.

The search for members to join the panel is ongoing with applications of interest due in the town clerk’s office on Oct. 30. Mayor Jeffrey Mutter will recommend candidates to the council, which will vote on the appointments at a meeting scheduled for Nov. 6.

Additional work to revitalize the Cumberland Senior Center is expected to begin next spring with both interior and exterior improvements planned for the aging facility, including a new gas-fire boiler, new commercial kitchen and ADA accessible doors, ramp and railings.

Last August, the town received a $500,000 Public Facility and Improvements grant from the State Office of Housing and Community Development to pay for the work, which will continue the work at the senior center that was started in January. That earlier work include new bathrooms, ceilings, floors, and upgraded exercise space at the 1464 Diamond Hill Road facility.

Earlier this month, the town’s Office of Planning and Community Development submitted a request to the Rhode Island Office of Housing and Community Development to release the grant funds awarded in August to undertake the work next spring. The estimated project cost is $703,500, including the $500,000 awarded in HUD funding.

Plans for the spring include redoing the front entrance; ADA accessible doors, ramp and railings; installing a commercial kitchen to expand meal service; installing exterior patio, new fencing and landscaping; resolving drainage issues; repaving sections of parking lot for improved safety; upgrading the electrical system; replacing the old oil boilers to gas-fired; and installing exterior insulation and cladding to the facility.

The Cumberland Senior Center opened in 1991, but is showing its age. The center provides a variety of services to Cumberland’s elderly, including a reduced-price lunch program, a senior van for excursions; pool room, meeting room, and activities ranging from art to exercise to education.

Improving the senior center has been a priority for Mutter, who during his campaign last year, noted that the senior center at the Monastery property was deficient in space and resources for those who use it.

“As mayor, I have the privilege of bearing witness to the vibrancy that our seniors bring to this community,” Mutter said. “It is high time that they have a Senior Center that reflects their immense presence and energy. I have made supporting them one of my top priorities since taking office in January.”