Letters

At the Westhampton Beach town hall meeting two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed with enthusiasm for the new senior community center [“Westhampton Residents Applaud Community Center, and Ask for Much More,” 27east.com, December 4]. I have never attended a meeting where everyone was in such agreement and support of a community project.

This important milestone did not happen overnight. It simply began about 15 years ago as an idea and desire for a senior center in the western part of the Town of Southampton.

I could see firsthand how my own mother benefited from senior services in Hampton Bays. Nutritious food, socialization, trips and informational meetings were only some of the missed opportunities that we lacked here. Together with Town Councilman John Bouvier, the Southampton Town Board, The CAC-West committee and years of monthly meetings, the idea of a senior center became a reality.

First, the dilapidated senior citizen building on Mill Road was demolished and the land sold. Then, a car dealership on Old Riverhead Road was purchased. The building would not only be a senior center but also a youth center, modeled after the Flanders Community Center. It would also be a long-awaited home for the American Legion.

Due to high renovation costs and lack of outdoor space, our former village mayor, Town Supervisor Maria Moore, chose the new site, next to the elementary school on Mill Road. Finally, the time and place were perfect.

We certainly have come a long way for our seniors, youth and veterans. It took a village of well-intended and competent people to make a dream come true for everyone.

For me, it was personal. Could my mom’s longevity — now at almost 107 — be a result of 20 happy years at the Hampton Bays Senior Center? I think so.

Dorothy Labowski

Remsenburg