I thought the safety issue was the main reason a new senior center was being built. If there are liability issues, then it makes sense to move. Maybe there is more to this than I'm reading, but it appears they would be moving a short distance, closer to the YMCA.

"Selectman Robert McLintock said he disagreed, and the Pleasant Street School is perfectly safe, ..."

It might be 'perfectly safe' for the able-bodied, and I might even question that, but it is not 'perfectly safe' for elderly people with canes and advanced arthritis, COPD and the many other ailments that limit an older citizen's mobility. If a smoky fire ever occured in that building, the children would get out, the elderly... I'm not too sure. That one flight of stairs and the tangle of door could be a deadly obstacle. The building is not handicapped accessible in any way.

The 137 seniors who signed the petition to remain at the Pleasant Street location should sign a 'release from liability' form so the townspeople are not on the hook for damages should they occur. There should be a sign on the door "Enter at your own Risk". Because that is what it amounts to.

If the building is unsafe, it should be condemned. Aren't children housed there daily?

The safety and liability issues are no different from what they have been for years. I have letters and memos written to the Board of Selectmen, Building Inspector, School Department, Health Department, and Fire Department concerning peeling ceiling paint in the kitchen, lack of maximum capacity posting in the activities room, air quality issues, heating and cooling, lack of confidentiality in counseling, lack of handicap accessibility, parking and traffic problems. All of a sudden, after the voters approve a new Senior Center, the issue of liability is raised? Stop procrastinating on building the new Senior Center instead of coming up with a temporary location that will no doubt become an excuse for further delays.

There are more liability issues in this town than there are residents. That's unfortunately the nature of our society. When we're told that the town can't distinguish between a sign for a lemonade stand and signs for an auto dealership because we need to be content neutral, we've surrendered common sense to fear of litigation.

The seniors who use the Senior Center are not a reason to move to a temporary location. They don't want to move. They're not looking for ways to sue the town or they would long since have sued the town over the conditions at the COA. The new-found alarm about safety and liability is clearly not out of concern for the seniors. The money spent for this ill-conceived move could better be spent on other things. It can't be spent twice.

This is going to be one of those times that you can't please everyone. There's always going to be at least one person that's going to say it's not safe. Seekonk High School is not safe because of communication dead zones. Pleasant Street School is not safe, mold at the town hall, etc. The fear card is always played before each and every Seekonk election. The intersection at the Grist Mill is still not fixed!

Life itself is unsafe. My father-in-law used to have a quote on his refrigerator: "Life is a precarious condition. It sometimes lingers on for years, but inevitably ends in death." Interesting how we call death insurance life insurance. Maybe nobody would want to buy it.

This is what politicians do, it's not their fault. In June we will all be told yet again that we are not safe until a new fire station is built in both North & South Seekonk.

Has the issue of the fire station been moved to June now? Last I new they wanted more money for the Banna station in the north end and were trying to get it at a special town meeting in April. We have an election coming up...when I don't even know. Now what is in June? I have lived in town 29 years. I do not have kids in school, not old enough for a senior center. How am I supposed to know what is going on in this town? I can't afford newspapers. It is discriminary to expect everyone to have cable and I only cannot afford internet access at home so my computer access is limited. Many homes do not even have computers. Instead of having to come up with the money for so many elections, special town meetings and such just consolidate them and use the money to let residents know what is actually going on in this town. The Banna issue was supposed to have ended last Nov. with a town wide input. Now the residents are being circumvented and side swiped.

The Banna fire station is on the warrant for the Special Town Meeting next Wednesday, March 27, 7 PM, Seekonk High School. See http://seekonk-ma.gov/pages/SeekonkMA_News/01A81D0C-000F8513.0/Warrant%20for%20March%2027,%202013%20Special%20Town%20Meeting.pdf

The Town Election is Monday, April 1, 7 AM to 8 PM, at the Seekonk High School.

The town is media and information challenged. The best way to get information other than through the grapevine is the Seekonk Reporter (monthly that goes to every household free), the town's website http://seekonk-ma.gov/pages/index, reading The Sun Chronicle online (limited number of articles you can view per month without paying), or Patch (Seekonk news and comments sometimes quickly sidelined by articles and comments from other Patch communities). You may also want to get yourself added to the e-mail list for notices from the Town Administrator/Selectmen's office. Call 508-336-2910.

Some towns do mail out copies of Town Meeting warrants and Annual Reports. Seekonk does not.

Thank you Carol!

Dave: You and I can take responsibility for making this routine for our town. We don't have to rely on the Selectmen, the Town Administrator's office or anyone else. We're the ones who perceive the problem, which may not be entirely apparent from Town Hall. No one can stop us from taking corrective action. The view from the grassroots is different from the view from the top. Democracy without the people simply doesn't work.

BANNA FIRE STATION: Additional detailed information can be found here:
http://seekonk-ma.gov/pages/SeekonkMA_News/01A284C3-000F8513.0/Banna_for_Web_3-27%20%282%29.pdf Please note that the Warrant article for Town Meeting is stated to amend the 2009 vote of $775,000 (already approved) so that the wording "constructing, originally equipping and furnishing" is consistent with the request for the additional funds of $687,491. The article has been approved by Bond Counsul.

If the seniors don't want to move then don't go to the new "temporary" center. Meet in small groups at different peoples houses. if this is already a done deal than why all the fuss and the placement of an article for it on the warrant. Special Town Meeting started out (way back when) for the Banna Station then others had to jump in for their stuff.

Is there room at the library for a temporary meeting place?

It's not simply about temporary meeting space. There are many activities including luncheons with speakers (some catered by the South Coast Collaborative students at Pleasant Street School, cooking classes using the kitchen, a monthly cardiac prevention clinic with nurses from South Coast Hospital, an emergency food pantry, exercise and social gatherings. Library space is limited. The value of the current location is that seniors know where it is and the activities are more or less centralized. There already is some use of the library by the COA. Move to a temporary location, from what I understand, may limit the programs offered by the COA.

Speaking of moves and changes in Seekonk, does anyone know anything about Johnson & Wales looking for a buyer for their Seekonk property? Any reason why they want to sell - are they leaving Seekonk altogether? Any prospective buyers or done deals for the place?

Steve: Not upset with you at all. Thanks for sharing your views on this.

Why the duplication of senior services? My Uncle spends a lot of time in the senior center in east providence. He eats lunch there and is part of the group that plays cards and recently went on one of their trips. The center takes federal dollars and as such is required to allow anyone to participate.They don't care that he lives in Seekonk.

Why has the Pleasant St School not been made handicap accessible? After all these years!
Doesn't it's use fall under fed or state accessibility laws?

I think regional alternatives should be explored for Seniors, Veterans and Animal control.
As for public safety, technology is advancing faster than our meager minds can comprehend. Unmanned drone capabilities for fire/police may be just around the corner. What's the rush?

There's no end to the possibilities. Libraries are becoming obsolete. Education can be done online, so we can close the schools and won't have to worry about school safety. People can work from home and shop via internet, order groceries through Peapod, and get prescriptions and stamps by mail, so we don't have to worry any longer about potholes being filled or streets being plowed. Sounds like a bestseller -- Seekonk: How We Eliminated the Need for Town Government. We wouldn't have to fight about the number of polling places or hours because we wouldn't need town elections!

no question where the seniors are is a mess. they shouldn't be on the 2nd floor and mixed up with kids with behavioral problems. the office is the question on safety. i feel that they should relocate until the senior center is built but not to the knights.too expensive. i would agree if they went to the north school, it would be little cost to no cost. lets face it , it mite be a year before they break ground for the new center, just my opinion

It wasn't only seniors who signed the petition.