City celebrates groundbreaking for Senior Activity Center

Portsmouth NH – City officials celebrated the groundbreaking for the new Senior Activity Center on Cottage Street today. Participating in the ceremony were Mayor Jack Blalock, City Manager John Bohenko, Deputy City Manager Nancy Colbert-Puff, former Mayor and Friends of the Senior Activity Center group Bob Lister, Carl Diemer, member of the Senior Center Blue Ribbon Committee; City Councilors Cliff Lazenby, Josh Denton, Ned Reynolds and Rick Beckstead; Recreation Department Director Rus Wilson and Senior Services Supervisor, Brinn Sullivan; DPW Director Peter Rice and Facilities Manager Joseph Almeida; members of the Senior Subcommittee of the Recreation Board and Senior Center staff, former Community Development Director David Moore; and Martini Northern Project Manager Matt Billings.

The groundbreaking for the Senior Activity Center took place at the site of the former Paul A. Doble Army Reserve Center, at 125 Cottage Street in Portsmouth.

In February 2019 the City of Portsmouth took ownership of the facility identified in 2012 as the Committee's first option to house a new senior center. On May 19, 2019, the City Council approved a $2.5 million bond and authorization to request from the Trustees of the Trust Fund an additional $1.525 million from the Daniel Street Trust for the reconstruction of the new facility. DPW put out a Construction Request for Proposals and identified an estimated 8-10 month timeline to complete construction after mobilization. Thirteen contractors toured the facility and six submitted final bids.

As a result of that process, the contract was awarded in August to Martini Northern, the lowest bidder and within the City’s expectations on the budget. Work has begun, with an anticipated completion date of Summer 2020. Funding for this project comes from a combination of sources, including planning and design monies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and funds from the Daniel Street Trust.

Working together with the Community Development and Public Works Departments, the Senior Services Division of the Recreation Department has designed an adaptive reuse of the former Doble facility which expands the space available to the current Senior Center from 2,400 sq. ft. to 12,000 sq. ft.. The new Center will increase the number of activity/classrooms available for programs from 2 to 7, including a 3,500 sq. ft. Assembly Hall and will incorporate some of the design features recommended by the National Council on Aging.

The Vision is that the Senior Activity Center will be Portsmouth’s premiere community resource for mature adults. The center will continue to be a vibrant hub for people to gather and access programs that encourage wellness, lifelong learning, creativity, socialization, and recreation. That involvement of adults in the community and senior center will inspire a deeper understanding of the power of healthy aging to positively transform lives.  The Senior Activity Center is and will continue to be accessible to all, support an age friendly community, foster the wellbeing of older adults, and enrich the aging experience.