The Gilman Senior Center hosted an open house and ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of their new facility on April 3rd. The original building, in operation since 1973, closed in 2019 due to poor building conditions. The new location, a renovated former church parsonage, opened with a well-attended celebration welcoming an estimated 80 guests that included Center board members, Center staff, non-profit partners, construction vendor partners, and friends. Attending legislators included Senator Russ Ingalls, former Senator Vincent Illuzzi, Representative Terri Williams, and Beth Stern, Outreach Representative from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ office.
“When we closed in 2019, the Center served as a community gathering place but most importantly, it was the source of home delivered meals for area elders, a critical need that had to be supported,” said the Center’s Board President Sharon Eaton.
As the search began for a new location, the Center worked with the NEK Council on Aging to redirect the cooking of home-delivered meals to the St. Johnsbury Nutrition Center (St. J House) for one year, then to the Lyndon Area Senior Meal Program (Darling Inn) for two years, and back to St. Johnsbury as construction was finished.
Eaton and other members of the board worked with community members to band together and manage the process of acquiring a new building and raising the resources necessary to not only renovate the building but install a fully functional commercial kitchen and dining/events area.
“After Ampersand Gilman Hydro helped us to obtain the building, we turned to Derrick Williams of Unlimited Building in Lunenburg to start the renovations,” said Eaton. “Derrick came into the building and said, “let’s see what this soft spot is” and that turned into one issue after another. Every time Derrick texted me, I was terrified,” said Eaton.
It turned out the building required new electric lines, flooring, reinforcement to the second story, and new plumbing to connect the building to the town line.
“It was bad,” said Eaton.
Fundraising efforts began in earnest. In addition to the generous support of the St. Johnsbury and Lyndon meal sites to continue home-delivered meals, the Center received equipment, financial donations, and in-kind support from a variety of organizations and friends.
The Lake Region Senior Meal Site donated a 10-burner commercial stove, tables, chairs, kitchen supplies, and supported the Center financially when it closed in 2020.
“Our construction vendors were tremendously generous,” said Eaton. “They provided us very good pricing and donated their time where it was needed. Derrick took his tractor up to Lake Region to move the stove for us. And of course, dozens of friends of the Center donated where they could….five, ten, twenty, or one hundred dollars.”
Grants were acquired from the Neil and Louise Tillotson Fund, the State of Vermont, and the NEK Council on Aging. Fundraising efforts were completed with a generous donation from Casella Waste Management.
“We also wish to thank Francis Sullivan who has donated the house next to the Center, which will be raised, to make room for a new parking lot.”
The new Center features a commercial kitchen, office space, restrooms, and a large events/dining area. The Center will be open from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Wireless access is available, and the office space provides privacy for area residents for online meetings (telehealth). Bingo is offered on Mondays and future include the addition of a TV for entertainment and wellness classes.
Eaton fondly remembers the desire her friends and neighbors had to open a new Center and the vision required to complete it. “Gilman resident Ed Wheelock and his wife Carol, who helped to manage the former Center location, demonstrated how important a community center like this is to our town. The closing of the paper mill brought hardship but as this project shows, our community is resilient, and we care for one another. I’m excited to see how the Center will evolve and we always welcome volunteers who have an interest in helping in the kitchen, delivering meals, or leading activities.”
During construction, the NEK Council on Aging provided support to successfully provide nutrition services including the packaging and delivery of meals. The Gilman Senior Center will join the Council’s network of 14 meal site partners that provide nutrition services to disabled and elderly Vermonters throughout the Northeast Kingdom.
“When I visited the Center at this time last year, the building barely had a floor,” said Herb Will, Director of Nutrition for the NEK Council on Aging. “I am pleased to celebrate the efforts made to make the Center a reality. What a terrific example of community spirit and it serves as a great example of the phrase “it takes a village or sometimes, villages.”
For more information, contact Pam Kathan, meal site manager by visiting
www.gilman-senior-center.org or call (802) 892-1052.
