Former Waterford Street School to be home to Gardner community center

GARDNER – The former Waterford Street School will soon be the home to a new, multi-tenant community center, officials announced on Monday.

“This plan brings together different nonprofit organizations from around the city and allows them to work together under the same roof, collaborate in new and more effective ways, and expand the services that they are offering to our residents,” said Mayor Michael Nicholson.

Four organizations would be moving into the building: the Gardner Senior Center, the Gardner Community Action Committee, GAAMHA, Inc., and Growing Places. The former school will become the new home for the Senior Center and the Gardner CAC (which currently share a building on Pleasant Street), while GAAMHA Inc. and the Leominster-based Growing Places will use the extra space to expand their current services.

New school creates possibilities for old school

“We knew with the construction of the brand-new elementary school, that Waterford Street School would be one of the biggest buildings to repurpose, so we’ve been working to bring in area nonprofits and city services to fill this space in a symbiotic way so that those organizations can grow collaboratively and continue to increase the services they offer to the Gardner area,” said Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, D-Gardner.

“As a former student here at Waterford Street School, and the son of a former teacher here, I’m very excited to see this building get a new lease on life and be repurposed in such a meaningful way for our community and its people,” Zlotnik added.

The Boys & Girls Club's Gardner Clubhouse also took advantage of the new school opening and relocated from the Gardner Middle School to the Elm Street School, which is allowing them to expand both its offerings and its capacity.

More: Boys & Girls Gardner Clubhouse opens at Elm Street School

More space for senior center, and no hazardous stairs

Michael Ellis, director of the Gardner Council on Aging, said he was excited about the prospect of moving the city’s Senior Center into the former school. He said the new location would provide the center with more parking, expanded space for programs, and eliminate the need for visitors to climb stairs, a problem that had resulted in several injuries over the past few years.

“It’s not going without notice that the stairs are precarious,” Ellis explained. “In fact, we’ve had several major incidents that required us to call an ambulance or emergency services for folks that had fallen on the stairs. Stairs are just not a good combination for senior centers.”

The former school building would provide the Senior Center with a one-floor facility, Ellis said.

“This (move) allows our agency to have all of our programs in one location instead of scattered throughout the city, and it also allows us the opportunity to deepen and strengthen our partnerships in the community,” said Julie Meehan, executive director of the Gardner CAC. “We’re excited about this opportunity.”

Meehan added that relocating to a first-floor level at the school would mean increased safety for volunteers, staff, and residents who utilize the CAC's services.

Ayn Yeagle, executive director of Growing Places, which serves 21 communities in the region, said her organization would utilize the former school’s kitchen as a processing center so that local farmers can more effectively deliver healthy food to those in need in the community.

“Take an apple, for example. We can make apple sauce, or chips out of apples or you name it with apples – maybe some apple pie if you’re lucky,” Yeagle said. “We will then distribute (those products) through our different outlets.”

“I’m really excited to be in Gardner,” Yeagle added.

GAAMHA can help more people

Tracy Hutchinson, president and CEO of GAAMHA, said her organization had recently been forced to turn down referrals due to a lack of space at its Coleman Street headquarters.

“Being able to occupy this site at Waterford Street School, we’ll be able to double to triple the (number) of people we currently serve,” Hutchinson said, adding that the shared space would provide an additional benefits for GAAMHA’s clients. “This will also lead to volunteer opportunities at the CAC, Growing Places, and at the Senior Center for each of the individuals to acquire additional skills, which could maybe lead to an actual job in the community.”

The lease agreements between the city and the building’s new tenants would still have to be reviewed and approved by the City Council.

A name for the new community center was still being determined, according to officials.

The new tenants are expected to begin moving into the building in phases starting next year.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Waterford Street School to transform into Gardner community center