(2/11) Senior citizens are keeping their fingers crossed in hopes they may soon have a snazzier place to hold exercise classes.
Members of the town’s senior commission spoke candidly with the board of commissioners on Monday about the future of the Thurmont Senior Center.

The seniors want to clean up the building at 806 E. Main St., and make sure it is compliant with all Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Commissioner liaison Bob Lookingbill said the senior commission is looking for a better way to design the footprint of the building to make it more useable, for seniors and other town residents.

“How this conversation began on the senior center is that they needed more space,” commission chairman Bill Buehrer said at the meeting. “’They’ meaning the seniors.”

Buehrer offered the town board the name of a friend and retired architect willing to give his time to draw up plans and prepare the issue for bid for a proposed $1,400.

The board expressed mixed feelings about the effort. Commissioner Ron Terpko was ready to get the project moving. “It’s our building,” he said. “The scary thing is, it’s not ADA compliant, and that’s a big taboo.”

“Quite honestly, you’re going to have to spend some money anyway, and if we can get it for $1,400, that’s the cheapest I’ve ever heard anyone wanted to do anything for us.”

Mayor Martin Burns supported the plan 100 percent, but said the town doesn’t need to do anything until July 1 when a new budget will be approved. “It would be the proper course of business to do it in the budget time and just bring it up as a budget item,” he said.

Read other news articles on Thurmont