East Windsor Township Mayor Janice Mironawa and officials cut the grand opening of the renovated and expanded East Windsor Township Senior Center.
Work on the 11,000-square-foot expansion of the senior center, located at the end of Lanigan Boulevard, began in December 2020 and was completed in October. The project included a 5,000-square-foot expansion of the multipurpose room and a 785-square-foot gym addition.
The completion of the expansion and renovation project turned the existing 11,000-square-foot building into a 16,785-square-foot facility, officials said.
The East Windsor Township Senior Center includes an enlarged multipurpose room with a kitchen at one end and a small sunken stage at the opposite end. It is used for community events and performances, officials said.
The senior center also has a computer room, a game room with pool tables and ping pong, an arts and crafts room, a lounge/TV room, a library, a health screening room and outdoor areas with tables and chairs.
Additional amenities — unrelated to the expansion — include a public bus purchased through state and federal transportation and travel grants; a satellite office for the Mercer County Surrogate’s Office; a walking path next to the center for the elderly; and the Mercer County Food Project, which provides meals and socialization opportunities.
Mironawa said she is excited to welcome seniors to the East Windsor Township Senior Center, which she called “a cornerstone of our local senior community.” It’s a tremendous resource and a second home for a large number of seniors in our community.”
“The blessing of the senior center is its dramatic increase in popularity in recent years,” Mironov said, adding that the growth has led to the challenge of accommodating everyone for social events and popular activities.
The expanded facility allows the space to be flexibly configured to accommodate more members and expand access to the full range of health, fitness, social and educational activities and programs offered at the center, she said.
The expansion project was funded by a $1 million grant from Mercer at Play, administered by Mercer County, and a $400,000 state grant through the Small Town Community Development Grant program administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
According to Mironov, the original East Windsor Township Senior Center was located in a small house on Dutch Neck Road near Lee’s Turkey Farm. In the one-room building, everyone gathered together, or played cards, or did something else.
A growing number of elderly people have outgrown the building.
At the time, the CEO of Springpoint Senior Living, which was renamed Presbyterian Homes of New Jersey, agreed to donate land in East Windsor for a senior center. The company operates the Meadow Lakes retirement community in the township.
The general director made it clear that the company was not going to pay for the building, so the city authorities started looking for grants.
The township identified grants that were available from the county, state and federal governments. The rest of the money was raised privately, officials said.
Ground was filled and a building was built. The East Windsor Senior Center opened its doors in 2003.
