PROSPECT — The tiny kitchen at the Prospect Senior Center was bustling last week as Lori Anderson, who manages the kitchen, and her staff prepared to feed 140 people for the center’s St. Patrick’s Day lunch.
“We have a system. We each have our own stations and everybody has their own duty. I can’t move around. It really irritates me, but I have to delegate duties because we are all in our corners,” Anderson said.
Anderson, who has worked at the senior center’s kitchen for seven years, said working in the kitchen takes getting used to because not everything that’s needed is in one place. The kitchen has two large coffee pots, but only one can fit into the space. The other pot is used elsewhere in the building. Dry goods are stored in the computer room and the freezer is located outside the kitchen.
Anderson said the kitchen only runs smoothly because she and her four staff are accustom to working in the small area.
“If we have more people in here you can’t move. There’s no way,” Anderson said.
Anderson’s concerns may soon be alleviated, as town officials are considering adding on to the senior center to expand the kitchen and front office.
The Town Council appointed a Building Committee to oversee the expansion project at its meeting on Tuesday, Mayor Robert Chatfield said.
The town had architectural drawings done for the proposed expansion in 2011 by Lazarus & Sargeant Architects. The committee will work with the firm, Chatfield said.
Although the drawings were done in 2011, officials put the plans on the backburner because the need wasn’t that great at the time, Chatfield said. Recently, he said, the need has increased to the point where officials feel it’s necessary to bring the project back to the forefront.
Prospect Senior Center Director Lucy Smegielski said the extra space isn’t just needed during holidays or celebrations.
“On Fridays we usually have 70 or 80 people for lunch. So, we do a tremendous amount of cooking and we don’t have the facilities we need,” Smegielski said.
According to the drawings, the proposed addition would add 420 square feet onto the building, most of which is designated as kitchen space. The addition would effectively double the size of the office and kitchen.
Chatfield said the committee will narrow down the exact cost of the work as it goes out to bid. Chatfield said he plans to ask the Town Council use the town’s general fund balance to pay for the project.
If the project moves forward, it will be the second addition on the building since it was built in 2000. The first addition, which extended the rear of the building and dining area, was built in 2005.
The hope is to break ground on the new project by summer, Chatfield said.
Anderson said she hopes people understand how much this addition is needed.
“People don’t realize how small the kitchen is and think it’s not a priority. But to the seniors that come here it is a priority and to me, working here, it is a priority,” Anderson said.
