Senior Center Work Continues

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs told seniors Tuesday she expects to meet with Dornoch representatives either today or next Wednesday to discuss progress on the new senior center/condo project at 400 East Front Street.

Dornoch Plainfield LLC has missed three projected deadlines for completion of the 63 condos, senior center and veterans' center. The final deadline, two years from the date of obtaining a building permit, is October 2009.

While work is apparently progressing on the roof and interior, the mayor said she would like to see more being done on the senior center space at ground level. According to the development agreement, that should also be a prime goal for Dornoch, because no closings on the condo sales can take place until the senior center is complete, as indicated by a temporary or permanent certificate of occupancy.

Veterans will have a longer wait, according to terms of the agreement. All 63 condos must be sold before space used as a sales office will be converted to a veterans' center.

Although both the senior and veterans' centers are being built at no cost to the city, both entities will incur costs for sharing common elements of the building. The senior center will have to pay 13.96 percent and the veterans' center will have to pay 1.02 percent of costs for common elements when they assume ownership.

--Bernice Paglia