Portsmouth Senior Center squeezed for space

State fire code violations mean upstairs storage must be cleared out

By Jim McGaw
Posted 12/24/19

PORTSMOUTH — First, let’s nip something in the bud right away: The Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center is not closing any time soon.

That said, the organization that numbers …

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Portsmouth Senior Center squeezed for space

State fire code violations mean upstairs storage must be cleared out

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — First, let’s nip something in the bud right away: The Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center is not closing any time soon.

That said, the organization that numbers more than 800 members is dealing with a drastic space crunch that could dramatically impact how it serves the public, according to its director, Cindy Koniecki.

It all started with a recent visit by the state fire marshal’s office.

“The town got the report; there are 32 violations against this building. We have 30 days to remove everything from the second floor,” Ms. Koniecki said.

The second and third floors of the senior center have not been occupied by people for as long as anyone can remember. Formerly the Anne Hutchinson School, the building has been a senior center for 39 years, and its upstairs portion has been used for nothing but storage for the center and other local organizations ever since.

But it appears even storing supplies upstairs is a fire hazard, according to the fire marshal’s office. “Technically, we really weren’t supposed to be up here,” Ms. Koniecki said while giving a reporter a brief tour of the second floor last week.

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. said the town first received an order from the state fire marshal in 2005, stipulating that the second and third floors not be used due to the lack of sprinklers. 

“A lot of organizations have been storing things in the senior center for many years. They all know they’re not supposed to be using the second and third floor because they’re not sprinkled,” Mr. Rainer said. 

The town is seeking a variance from the 30-day order on the sprinkler system until it can figure out a longterm plan, Mr. Rainer said. 

“We’re asking for variance until June 2021 because we figure the town will have figured out what to do with the building by then,” he said. “If they tell us we have to shut it down, we’re not going to do all the improvements. There are some big-ticket items we don’t want to put into unless we get the variance, most importantly the sprinkling.”

In the meantime, the town has agreed to block off the upper floors with locked doors. “If we don’t get that stuff off the second floor, I’m sure he’s going to shut us down,” the administrator said of the fire marshal. “Obviously they’re not happy that we never took care of the violations over the past 14 years.”

The town is also relying on its Department of Public Works (DPW) to address some of the more-minor violations, such as installing a handrail near the first-floor entrance. 

“We’re doing the first 20 (violations) that we’re trying to take care of in the next 30 days. There’s some minor stuff and then there’s some major stuff,” said DPW Director Brian Woodhead.

Some of the other violations DPW will address are emergency lights, removing doors that are too narrow, closing off a vent in the janitor’s room, general fire-stopping and other improvements. 

Echoing Mr. Rainer’s comments, Mr. Woodhead said the town will wait to see the response to the requested variance before sinking any serious money into the building. “We don’t want to spend $40,000 on replacement doors if they don’t give us the variance,” he said.

Significant concerns

One of the more serious violations, according to Ms. Koniecki, is in the first-floor kitchen 

“The hood over the stove has no plenum,” she said. “It has something to do with the combustion and air flow through the ventilation system.”

The current stove is a commercial model. A smaller, home stove may not be sufficient considering the amount of food the center prepares, she said. “But if we keep the commercial, (the hood) has to be replaced, which is thousands of dollars. This is a major thing because it will affect our fund-raising.”

Having to remove everything stored in the second and third floors is also “a major thing,” she said. In addition to the senior center itself, other local groups using the upstairs room for storage include the Portsmouth Community Theater, Portsmouth Grange, Boy Scout Troop 1, Cub Scouts Pack 1 and the Town Howlers Square Dance Club. They’ve all been notified to find some other place to store their stuff.

The theater group must remove its costumes, and the Scouts must find another place for its eight canoes and other equipment. The center will also be getting rid of its large stash of medical equipment, which Ms. Koniecki said is one of the largest around.

“I really feel bad about this, after working in pharmacy for 20 years. It’s really sad,” she said. “We’re going to give it to the Shriners. A lot of people depend on it, so now they won’t have that service here; we’ll have to send them elsewhere.”

Much of the upstairs space is used to store items collected for yard sales and the downstairs thrift shop. “We’re not going to have a yard sale anymore. That brought in close to $5,000. There won’t be any place to store these things,” Ms. Koniecki said.

Many other items upstairs will be donated to either Big Sisters or outright discarded; DPW will be taking some tool cabinets.

Outside containers considered

The first-floor thrift store, which is open 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. on weekdays, is the center’s biggest money-maker, so that will remain. However, storage for its overflow items will have to move outside and into containers that will each cost $100 to $150 to rent per month, she said.

“I feel bad for them for having to go outside and kind of live out of containers,” Ms. Koniecki said of volunteers who will have to trek outside even in inclement weather to retrieve or store items.

To make more room downstairs due to the elimination of the upstairs storage, the center will also get rid of its fitness center, which includes an Elliptical trainer, upright bike, StairMaster, two treadmills, a recumbent exercise bike and a weight bench. 

“We’re going to sell the equipment; I’ve already got two buyers for two items,” she said. “It’s not used the way it should be used, so I had to make a decision.”  

The center’s library will remain, but there will be no place for any overflow of books. “We’ll just keep the books that we need,” she said.

What holds for the future?

According to the results of a recent community needs assessment survey, many respondents said they’d like to see a new senior center and community center under the same roof. Another option, said Mr. Rainer, would be to have a separate, new and improved senior center. 

“We’re not going to leave them high and dry,” Mr. Rainer said of the local senior population.

Ms. Koniecki said it would probably be too expensive to renovate the existing senior center building.

“I’d like to see a new senior center, but if we can’t get one and they can’t renovate this building because of financial reasons or the conditions are too deplorable, I would go for the community center. At least it would be somewhere for (senior citizens) to go to,” she said.

Right now, however, she’s focused on getting through the next few weeks — moving everything out of the upstairs and figuring out a way to keep everyone happy and money still coming in to support the center’s services. It didn’t help that a false rumor — that the center was closing on Jan. 12 — started gaining traction after she made the announcement about the upstairs being shut off.

“It’s a lot of money for the improvements, and a lot of money that we will be losing,” she said. “And I hope we don’t lose members because of the rumors.”

Portsmouth Multi-Purpose Senior Center

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