HADLEY — Only essential services will be available in-person at the Hadley Senior Center until early January following a decision by the Select Board Dec. 17 to close the building to the public.
Citing the concerning rise in COVID-19 cases across the region in recent weeks, and anticipating the possibility of a similar spike following Christmas, the board voted 4-0, with Jane Nevinsmith abstaining, to keep the center shuttered until the board meets again on Jan. 6.
The decision also closes Town Hall to the public, though that building had been open to residents only by appointment.
“I am truly concerned about not exposing anybody to any more than we have to,” said Joyce Chunglo, who added that Cooley Dickinson Hospital is currently at capacity. “It is out there.”
Chunglo said she wants to keep the community safe and has a real fear that the holiday season will lead to another surge in cases as people let their guard down.
“I think closing our senior center and our Town Hall until the first of the year would not be a bad thing,” Chunglo said.
The senior center has offered limited services since reopening in August. Classes will move to online platforms, while foot care clinics will continue, along with transportation and meal delivery.
Select Board member Christian Stanley said he feels for people who are isolated, but that keeping the senior center open is too dangerous.
“Being on the Select Board, I just feel like we’ve got to say that the senior center is not necessarily the place for that right now,” Stanley said of its in-person activities.
The board got input from Dr. Susan Mosler, a member of the Board of Health. Mosler said it might be appropriate to roll back the town’s reopening plan in a similar fashion to what Gov. Charlie Baker has ordered for the state, noting that the senior centers in Northampton and Amherst have both been closed.
Mosler also observed that many employees at businesses have tested positive during the pandemic. “The virus is amongst us,” Mosler said.
Senior Services Director Hayley Wood, while disappointed in the decision, said she would comply with it and have respect for the caution, though she had hoped to keep what she termed a “valuable resource” available.
“I do feel comfortable about the level of activity we’re hosting right now and the ample spacing between very small groups of people,” Wood said.
Wood added that there have never been more than about 15 people in the building at a time, usually far fewer, and classes are capped at 30 minutes long, with disinfecting afterward and protocols in place should a senior test positive or be in close contact with someone who is ill.
“We haven’t had any scares yet,” Wood said.
