Uncategorized

News from the Senior Center kitchen


Matt Sherman explains some of the intricacies of permitting to staff volunteer Diane Anderson last week in the Senior Activity Center kitchen.

Matt Sherman of the Sherman Engineering and Consulting firm is the lead engineer on the permitting phase of the Senor Activity Center kitchen renovation.


There are two basic permits required by the Suffolk County Department of Health, he says. The first and most important is a site survey of the Senior Center’s septic system to determine if it meets health department standards. The second is a review of the plan for the actual kitchen renovation, again to determine if the plan meets health department standards.


His biggest concern is the viability of the center septic system. The town may have to add to it or replace it altogether. (I remember it backed up several years ago and had to be pumped out. The culprit —paper towels flushed down the toilet.)


It’s obvious the original estimate of $9,000 for the kitchen upgrade can no longer hold. At the least, the town must add in the cost of payment to Sherman Engineering with which it has a verbal contract. The worst case scenario is, of course, replacing the septic system.


Meanwhile the Silver Circle continues to order Meals-on-Wheels on Wednesdays. Yesterday, Jeanne and Ken Woods prepared a corned beef and cabbage dinner for the Silver Circle’s St. Patrick’s Day party. Jeanne was required to take their home-cooked dinner to the Nutrition Program’s kitchen at the Presbyterian Church. There it was packaged into the prescribed aluminum containers for delivery to the Senior Center. “Is this crazy?” Jeanne asked.


We still don’t know when Silver Circle Club members will be able to enjoy a lunch cooked in the center kitchen. We’ve been making do since August 2009 when a health department sanitarian inadvertently dropped in on the program, noticed we were preparing lunch, declared us in violation and closed the kitchen.


Is this crazy?


I want to thank Matt Sherman for his invaluable help in explaining the permitting process. — MB