Plymouth senior center gets grant to fix sprinkler system

PLYMOUTH A senior center in Grafton County that serves an average of 142 people per day has just been given $170,000 in emergency block grant funding to fix its malfunctioning sprinkler system.

The Plymouth Regional Senior Center's leaking fire suppression system required five emergency repairs in April and May of this year, administrators of its overseeing agency, the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, said in their application to the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority.

Kevin Flynn, CDFA's communications director, said the grant was approved late last week.

The situation is critical, administrators said, because of the intensity of use the restored former Boston & Maine train station now gets as a full-service senior center. It includes activities rooms, a library, exercise rooms, a computer lab and a large dining room that regularly serves more than 75 diners.About three-quarters of the seniors who use the site regularly are determined to be of low and moderate income according to administrators. We're pleased and relieved to get this grant, Roberta Berner, Executive Director of the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, said Friday in a news release.

It's important to protect the safety of our participants, staff and volunteers. We'd like to thank CDFA for quickly responding to the emergency.Leaks were found this spring throughout the building where condensation had built up in the pipes and one leak was particularly severe. During an inspection, it became clear that leaks were occurring throughout the system and that portions of the system were in need of substantial repair or replacement, council administrators said.

bhookway@newstote.com

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Plymouth senior center gets grant to fix sprinkler system