Brad Luck, EJRP Director, will be at the Senior Center on Tuesday, 12/19, from 11:30a.m.-12p.m. and Thursday, 12/21, from 12:30- 1p.m. to discuss the information below and answer questions
Summary
Effective January 1, 2024:
- Essex Junction Recreation & Parks (EJRP), the recreation department that serves the City of Essex Junction, will assume oversight of the Essex Area Senior Center (EASC).
- The Town of Essex Senior Bus Service will no longer serve residents of the City of Essex Junction.
- The contact information for EJRP is:
- Mark Brislin, Assistant Recreation Director
- 75 Maple Street
- 802-878-1375
- mbrislin@ejrp.org
- www.ejrp.org
Senior Center Days, Hours, Staffing
- The current schedule for the Senior Center will continue into the New Year.
- Mondays
- 10a.m.-12p.m. – Mah Jongg
- EASC volunteers will open, monitor, and close the Center. In the absence of a volunteer, the Center will not be open that day.
- Tuesdays
- 10a.m.-1:00p.m. – Bingo - $2 fee, bring your own lunch, lunch break at 11:30a.m.
- EJRP staff will open, monitor, and close the Center.
- Wednesdays
- Not open
- Thursdays
- 11:00a.m.-12:00p.m. – Briscola – no fee
- 12:30-3:30p.m. – Duplicate Bridge – no fee, bring a partner
- EJRP staff will open, monitor, and close the Center.
- Fridays
- 10a.m.-12p.m. – Mah Jongg
- EASC volunteers will open, monitor, and close the Center. In the absence of a volunteer, the Center will not be open that day.
Renovations at Lincoln Hall
Lincoln Hall (2 Lincoln Street – the location of the City Offices, Essex CHIPS, Essex Teen Center, Essex Area Senior Center) will be closed for renovations to the building. Renovations are expected to last eight months. The start and end dates are not yet finalized, but likely to commence in April and conclude sometime in the late fall/winter. These are good faith estimates at this time and are subject to change.
When the renovations begin, the current Senior Center programming will continue to be supported in a different space(s). Spaces are currently being explored and a schedule and locations will be shared later in the winter.
SSTA Bus Option
The Special Service Transportation Agency (SSTA) offers an ADA paratransit program for residents who live within 3/4 of a mile from a fixed route bus service, provided by Green Mountain Transit (GMT), and have a disability that prevents them from walking to or waiting for a bus. Regarding the mile threshold, almost all of the City of Essex Junction qualifies with exceptions being a handful of households within neighborhoods at the western end of South Street, Cascade Street, and Dunbar Drive and a few households at the northern edge of Old Colchester Road. In order to utilize the service, an application must be completed and processed in advance (can take up to three weeks). Applicants will need a certified healthcare professional to verify their disability. The cost per ride for the user is $2.50. There are hard copies of the application materials at the Senior Center.
The application and further information can be found here: https://ridegmt.com/paratransit-application/
Age Well Grab & Go Meals
EJRP is meeting with Age Well on December 18 to discuss the continuation and access to Grab & Go Meals at the Senior Center. More details will be released later this month.
Senior Center Memberships
Due to being open only for the first three months of 2024 at Lincoln Hall, before vacating for renovations, there will be no membership fees for the Senior Center until further notice.
EJRP Full-Time Support for Older Adult Programming
There will be a full-time Program Director for Older Adults for EJRP, which will be hired closer to when Lincoln Hall re-opens in the fall/winter of 2024. Until then, part-time staff and other full-time staff at EJRP will provide support and supervision of older adult programming.
How Can I Find Information About the Senior Center and Programming
- www.ejrp.org/olderadults
- 802-878-1375