For years now, the Village of Wellington has discussed plans for a new community center that will meet the needs of its large senior population, while also being a gathering place for the community. With a growing population of seniors, the village has long been called upon to tear down its current center and construct a building more friendly for elder residents and those with disabilities.
But for too long, the project has been put on the back burner while other issues have taken the focus of village staff and officials. Now the project has gotten wrapped in politics yet again. It’s time for Wellington to push ahead and rebuild its community center with all the amenities promised to residents in the long, drawn-out planning process.
This week, the Wellington Village Council moved a step closer to making the dream of a senior-friendly community center a reality, and that progress must continue steadily forward to complete the project as soon as possible.
Although the community has been divided on many of the details surrounding the rebuild — most notably, whether to relocate the Wellington Tennis Center — something most people can agree on is that the current Wellington Community Center has long outlived its use and must be rebuilt.
It is with that consensus that Wellington must continue forward with its plans for the new community center. It has been nearly a decade since Wellington’s senior community began demanding a home of their own, and this project cannot wait any longer.
In the three years since the former council voted to approve the project, costs have risen dramatically. By delaying, Wellington has lost out. Yet despite this, Wellington must not sacrifice this promised programming space.
With the current council majority this week affirming a tennis center move, Wellington would have to first build the new tennis facility and relocate its programming in order to keep from interrupting tennis play. This means that the process will take twice as long before the new community center will be able to open.
It’s imperative that the process get underway sooner rather than later so that seniors — along with residents of every age — can finally have a place to call home.
