Group pitches plan for new seniors' centre in Moncton
Hope is to be able to use main floor at former Wawanesa Insurance building on St. George Boulevard
A group is looking to partner with an affordable housing project to offer a new centre for seniors in Moncton.
They're hoping to convince the city to fund a centre on the first floor of the old Wawanesa Insurance building on the corner of St. George Boulevard and Bessborough Avenue.
The upper floors of the building are already earmarked for 30 new affordable housing units, operated by Rising Tide Community Initiatives Inc., for seniors in the city.
Dennis Cochrane, chair of the committee looking for a location for the new centre, said the partnership makes sense for seniors in the city.
"We would look at other locations, but we just haven't found anything as good a fit as this one," said Cochrane.
"The relationship with Rising Tide would make this a very unique model project for other municipalities."
The city's seniors' centre used to be housed at the former Lions Club at 473 Saint George St.
That building was city-owned, but has since been the home of the Bridge To Home, a resource centre for people who are homeless.
Since that changeover, events and programs for seniors have been held in a patchwork of locations, which isn't ideal, he said.
"In most cases the buildings were very receptive but they were also operating at full capacity," said Cochrane.
"One of the things that was missing in that whole exercise is that not only do we need a place for seniors to have activities and meetings and card games and all those things, we need a place for seniors to have socialization. And you just don't go into a building, have an activity and leave."
Cochrane said the group would like the city to buy the first floor of the building for $1.1 million and then provide a yearly grant to the centre, like they did at the Lions Club.
He said he knows this is an expensive project, but he feels the city hasn't been active in trying to find a permanent solution, and something needs to be done.
"You've created this problem by taking a centre that has been there for 50 years," said Cochrane, referring to the former location.
"We brought the plan forward. We'd like to know what they think of it. And if they don't find it acceptable, then what are they going to offer?"
With files from Information Morning Moncton