Letter: It's time Portsmouth support its senior citizens

To the editor:

I am writing in response to the recent articles regarding the Portsmouth Senior Center. 

I am a lifelong resident of the Town of Portsmouth and was rather astounded to learn the town is not supporting our seniors with the needed renovations to maintain their current facility. What the article left out is why the town is now refusing to assist the seniors in maintaining their current location that they have occupied for the last 40 years. There has been very little substantive public discussion on the senior center building, just a determination not to fund any repairs during the 2020-2021 budget. The seniors have been left to their own devices to locate funding to make the repairs or they will be shut out as of June 30, 2021. Recently, members of the center and advocates for the seniors began to contact local officials for assistance in an attempt to locate funding sources. 

A discussion was had with Sen. (James) Seveney, who explained the town has no plans to refurbish the building and the plan is to “knock it down.” This was new information to many seniors involved with the center. It appears there is a good deal of behind the scenes discussions without consulting the seniors. The speculation is members of the town council are looking at the location to build a recreation center. 

In the past, the council has voted to make repairs to the building, which is an old school. However, the structure itself is sound. The cost to make the remaining repairs appears to be exaggerated in order to further the town’s agenda of utilizing the space for other purposes. Sen. Helen Mathieu, who chairs the center’s board of directors, has been actively working on this matter and is able to establish how the center is utilized and the repairs being mandated by the town in essence are not needed. Middletown and Tiverton senior centers are former schools and have been very well-maintained throughout the years with the town’s assistance. Portsmouth’s center mostly pays for itself through various fund-raising efforts by the seniors, i.e. their thrift shop and flea markets.

The article quoted Town Administer Rainer as “we’re working very hard to create a new home.” There is nothing wrong with the existing center. Mr. Rainer stated there is discussions with Middletown to consolidate the two centers; however, this has not been addressed by the Town Council. There are several concerns with this suggestion. Portsmouth seniors may not be able to travel to a neighboring town and the risk of overcrowding another center, to name a few.

The seniors of Portsmouth deserve a center of their own and to continue where it is. The current center is located on Bristol Ferry Road and has light traffic, flow making it easier access for seniors to get to by driving themselves or use of public transportation. Furthermore, if we have learned anything from this pandemic, isolation is not good for anyone, even more so for the senior population especially those who live alone. The center should have been provided additional funds from the town to keep its doors open during this crisis to allow seniors an outlet to socialize pursuant to COVID protocols, for them to gather needed information to help them stay informed. 

There are over 700 members the center supports. Seniors are our most vulnerable population and should be protected. Town Council members and our state representatives should be working for our seniors to assist them in efforts to help fund the repairs, instead of closing the doors on them.

21.8 percent of Portsmouth’s population is 65-plus, 14.9 percent are 55-64 — a total of 37 percent, and are largely homeowners and taxpayers! A recreation center should be a private venture and not something the town should fund, when its senior center is one line item of the town’s general fund budget listed under “Civic Support,” allotting only $84,000 for the 2020-21 budget, a decrease from the previous year of $90,000. 

Such a recreation center would not be conducive for our seniors. Public recreation facilities are already exist under the town’s Department of Parks and Recreation, through schools, town sports programs, our beaches and the like to facilitate such recreational needs. Furthermore, in 2017, the town spent just under $1 million to refurbish the Leonard Brown House on Glen Farm to be used for recreation. 

Portsmouth has funded enough for recreation. It is now time to support our seniors, who are the backbone of our community.

Roseanne Martin

2752 East Main Road