Senior Center hosts ribbon cutting

NORWALK — Despite the frigid temperatures, about 150 people turned out for the ribbon cutting for the Senior Enrichment Services' new senior center on Wednesday morning. Senior Enrichment Services executive director Steve Beal said the new senior center was long time in the making. "So many people have been waiting for so long," Beal said. "It's so exciting. We are seeing people that have never been to the senior center. It's great." The center, located at 130 Shady Lane Drive in Norwalk, officially opened on Jan. 6. The center had been under construction since the early part of 2024. Pegged at a cost of $5 million, this 15,000-square-foot project was fully paid for with federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The new center is next to the Norwalk License Bureau and Title Office building on Shady Lane Drive. The new senior center features: • A travel room where seniors can plan their trips • A tech room where seniors can learn how to operate computers • Various social rooms, including for activities • A coffee bar along with a state-of-the-art kitchen The new kitchen was desperately needed because the organization provides up to 220 meals a day, Beal said. Beal said the center was constructed so that it would have features beneficial to seniors such as anti-trip flooring, handrails throughout and artistic-looking coat racks. Beal said some people have been waiting for more than 20 years for the new facility. "I feel the happiest for the people who have waited the longest," Beal said. Also speaking in the ceremony after the ribbon cutting was county commissioner Harry Brady, along with former county commissioners Terry Boose and Skip Wilde.