COURTESY OF THE CHATHAM COUNCIL ON AGING
CHATHAM – Chatham selectmen have approved the date for a special town meeting to act on a proposed location for a new senior center.
The session will be held at Monomoy Regional Middle School on Saturday, March 7, at 3 p.m.
It will specifically focus on a petition created in January to consider a location off Stepping Stones Road, a part of Monomoy Regional Middle School’s campus, for the new facility.
The site currently being analyzed as a potential location for the center is at 1610 Main Street in West Chatham, although some believe development at that area will be too expensive.
Others contend the site will not properly accommodate the needs of seniors.
Special Town Meeting voters approved the Main Street location last month.
Town Manager Jill Goldsmith recommended March 7 with a snow date of March 9 for the meeting to the board.
She said there must be at least 14 days before the meeting to provide enough time for the information to be publicly posted, and the voter registration deadline must be 10 days prior to the meeting.
Selectman Dean Nicastro was in favor of the March 7 date and suggested the 3 p.m. start time.
“I think the farther out, the better, without encroaching on the time sensitivity at the end, because a lot of people are away,” Nicastro explained.
Nicastro noted that the previous special town meeting had a decreased number of younger voters, and that the Chatham Council on Aging was supportive of the 3 p.m. start time.
Fellow board member Cory Metters agreed that March 7 would be a good date for the vote, but noted that there’s no such thing as a perfect start time, especially considering that Saturdays are often busy days for parents.
“3 o’clock might give you a better chance for some younger voters to attend, with the caveat that we have daycare, child care of some sort provided,” Metters said.
“I think that would be helpful.”
The registration deadline for the special town meeting is February 26.
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