ROMNEY — Kitchen renovations at the Romney Senior Center began last week and are expected to be completed by the end of this month.
The Romney Senior Center kitchen is an important hub for preparing and distributing meals to homebound seniors throughout the county and for in-house dining at Romney. Meeting increasing dietary demand faces recent challenges due to infrastructure needs. The renovation will include a variety of improvements, including expanded space, humidity control, rewiring, and adding kitchen equipment.
Dana Hott, director of the Hampshire County Commission on Aging, said the center will continue to accommodate walk-ins and phone calls, but all sit-down meals and activities for seniors have been temporarily suspended for safety reasons. He said that
During construction, which officially began April 22 through D&D Plumbing, the kitchen staff relocated to the fire department kitchen on the floor above the Romney Fire Company to continue preparing and distributing meals to the county's homebound seniors. Delivery drivers will pick up meals on High Street to avoid potential fires.
“Anything we can do to help the county, that's why we're here,” Romney Fire Company Chief GT Parsons said, calling the transition “perfect.”
Hotto agrees, saying, “The whole process at the fire station was smooth. April (Wasson) worked ahead of time to adjust the menu for simpler meals while still meeting our nutritional guidelines.” ”
“It's too quiet. We don't like it,” laughed Wasson, nutrition director for the county's senior center.
Mr Wasson said seniors who are used to coming into the center to enjoy meals and socialize with others have coped fairly well with the temporary change, but “they are I'm ready.''
Fortunately, Hott reported that the contractor is estimating a three-week timeframe for completion of the project and any temporary interruptions will be resolved quickly.
Until then, seniors who normally eat at Romney facilities can pick up their meals to the left of the Romney Fire Station on High Street. However, this grab-and-go option is only available during construction and will be retired once the upgrade is complete.
As of Friday, the kitchen has doubled in size to a 28-by-17 room, and Wasson is looking forward to installing a second oven in the kitchen.
As work progresses, kitchen staff will continue to access the Romney Center for food supplies and cooking equipment, which will be transported to fire stations for meal preparation and distribution. ❏
