By James DeWeese
Having seen the project start more than seven years ago, Ancona was not about to stand by as construction stopped.
He turned to City Councilman Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), who took over where his predecessor left off, securing the funding from the Council's budget.
“I knew that with the old senior center severely overcrowded, it was critical to get construction back on track as soon as possible,” Gioia said.
For years at the center's old Broadway office, Ancona found himself sandwiched into a 9-foot-by-12-foot administrative office. Often he tried to pack as many as five or six people in to conduct meetings.
His was the only office for the center's full-time, part-time and volunteer staff, Ancona said.
Now they have a bit more elbow room.
“It's like a palace, it's really a state-of-the-art senior center,” said Ancona, who has worked at the center for 13 years. “It's like moving from your small candy store to a major corporation.”
Where the center once packed its breakfast, lunch and weekend meal programs, bingo games, discussion groups, computer classes and arts and crafts activities into a 1,500-square-foot area, it now has 7,000 square feet of room, Ancona said.
“The majority (of the seniors) love it,” he said, although he admitted some miss the spontaneity of the smaller setting.
Among the other activities the center organizes are health care screenings, English classes for immigrants, ceramics and needlepoint lessons, exercise and yoga and guest speakers covering topical and timely issues such as retirement, investing and new Medicare prescription cards.
Ancona and his full-time and part-time staff of three have their own offices as well.
“Now you can think,” Ancona said.
Last week Gioia and Ancona celebrated the center's completion with a special swearing-in ceremony for the center's volunteer advisory board.
“I am so thankful to Councilman Gioia for looking out for the seniors and the community,” Ancona said. “He is a true friend.”
The facility now boasts an arts and crafts room, a computer conference center, a dining room that can handle up to 120 people and revamped ventilation and lighting systems.
“I am excited to see this beautiful facility open for use,” Gioia said.
Reach reporter James DeWeese by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 157.
