Plans to bring about a combined Branford Senior Center/Community House took center stage at a special meeting of the Board of Finance on Oct. 3, when First Selectman James B. Cosgrove briefed the board on changes that will add over $4 million to the original project cost.  Considering the project actually meets the need to address two town aging buildings and brings multiple services into one facility, the town will benefit in the long run, said Cosgrove.

The project changes bring the new estimated price tag to $12.24 million.

In June of 2016, Quisenberry Arcarri Architects LLC presented design plans which were approved by the Branford Planning and Zoning Commission; however, since then, a property owner adjacent to the 46 Church Street site brought the town the opportunity to buy the adjacent land. Purchasing that land will greatly open up access and space for parking to reach the south entrance of the building. 

Another major change to the facility is to construct it so it can withstand flooding and act as a designated shelter. 

Considering the renovation and expansion project will serve to greatly upgrade and improve services currently offered at two outdated town buildings, the project still delivers a large economy of scale that will continue for years into future, Cosgrove told Zip06/The Sound.

"It's a little bit higher than initially anticipated, but I think that there are a number of benefits that were clearly articulated as far as long term operating costs," said Cosgrove. "We're really accomplishing two projects at once. If we were to check off the Senior Center box at some other location, the need to address the Community House, which is a 54 year-old building, still exits. That's a building that has some of the very same issues as senior center, such as accessibility. So we have to look at this as we're addressing two projects at once. I'm hoping the appropriating bodies see that."

The cost is under review by the BOF at this time and has not yet been approved. Should it be approved, the item would then go before the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for final approval.

The Oct. 3 meeting of the BOF was convened with two members absent. Both need to review the information presented by Cosgrove before a BOF vote can take place.

"I think it was well received from the board members that were there and I look forward to bringing it to the full board, and eventually to the RTM," said Cosgrove, who would work with Finance Director James Finch to draft a bond resolution.

"It's great to see how this project's evolved and that we have something we can potentially move forward with in the very near future," said Cosgrove.

Bringing Branford a new Senior Center has been in the town Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) since 2008. Cosgrove put the project in gear in September 2014 by holding community conversations and surveys hosted by the Town of Branford, which hired an independent consulting firm. The discussions created input from many in the town's senior community. While some objected to the idea of combining the senior center with the community center, the consultation determined the best location for the new collaborative public building would be in the town center and recommended upgrading the Community House to create a multi-use expanded building.

"Ultimately, it will be a great asset to the residents of Branford. This is a project that was not only a priority for my administration, but previous administrations as well, and it's identified in the 2008 [POCD]," said Cosgrove. "Branford has long recognized the current facility is inadequate, as stated in the [POCD], in both size and configuration. We all recognized that something needed to be done, and we put a process a together where we vetted all the options to come up with the best plan to move forward."

If the $12.24 million project cost is approved, work could begin in 2017.  The town's last major building project, which brought in the new Branford Fire Department Headquarters on North Main Street in 2012, was constructed at a cost of $12 million.