Following the defeat of the $1.2 million senior center referendum in November, the town has decided to move forward with forming a Senior Committee to study senior needs in town.

Members of the town’s two senior organizations – Senior Series and Senior Voices – applaud the move and say it’s a step in the right direction to offering seniors community services.

“I hope everybody on the committee has an open mind and starts from the beginning,” said Linda Bidler, president of Senior Series. “I think it’s a positive step as long as the focus is on the seniors.”

The committee will identify the programming and facility needs of the towns senior population, existing resources now available to meet those needs, and resources that will be need to be developed in the short and long term to meet the needs that can not be addressed through existing services.

“It’s looking at the needs overall of seniors,” said Town Manager Ron Owens. “Why we’re trying to do is have a committee focused more on the senior population.”

Bidler said there is limited programming for seniors now in town, primarily through the Southern Maine Agency for the Aging, Senior Services, a town-based organization that meets twice a week and also hosts day trips, and Senior Series, a private organization that meets once a month.

The Southern Maine Agency for the Aging provides information and services to seniors throughout the region, but does not focus on recreational activities, which lead to the growth of Senior Series and Senior Voices.

But without these two organizations offering what programming they can there would be virtually no senior related recreational activities in Scarborough, expect for the occasional senior trip offered by the town.

“If it wasn’t for Senior Series, me personally, I don’t know what I would be doing now,” Bidler said.

Both groups host regular meetings that feature speakers and demonstrations while provide either lunch or some light refreshments to attendees.

It was hoped by a group of seniors proposing the senior center that it would have been approved and provided them a place to host various events and also serve as a sort of drop-in center.

It is unclear why the bond request failed. Tibbals said one reason could have been a general misunderstanding of the proposal. While it would have been primarily a senior center, Tibbals said other community groups, a fact lost on many residents, would have used it.

“I think an awful lot of people don’t read local papers and don’t pay attention,” he said.

Tibbals said that the vote does indicate that people are not necessarily interested in providing seniors with programming options.

“I really think seniors don’t have the respect of the town and I hope this committee will change that,” Bidler said.

The main problem facing seniors who would like to meet with these organizations is space and time. Senior Series meets at the Hillcrest Retire Homes and has been offered more time at its meeting area, but the building is not large enough for some of the events. The organization recently held an appreciation luncheon and some of the guests had to sit outside because of a lack of space, Bidler said. The space also does not allow the organization to set-up permanent fixtures that would be helpful such as computer stations.

There are now plans for an expansion of the library as well as a YMCA in Scarborough and one of the Senior Committee’s charges is to look at options those two projects could give to seniors, but Tibbals said he is not convinced that either will offer what seniors really need.

“One of the things were looking for is a drop-in center,” he said. “That can not be done at either of the two facilities currently being used.”

The Senior Services Study Committee is now being formed and the town is accepting applications. There will be a total of 15 members from Senior Series, Senior Voices, the business community, education, a high school student, a representative from the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, an at large senior citizen, a member of the church community, a senior citizen at large, a builder/contractor, a representative from the library, and a representative from the YMCA. There also will be a Town Council liaison and a representative of the Town Manager, which will be non-voting seats.

The committee will report back to the town council in March or April to discuss what may be needed to be included in next year’s budget. The committee’s has a June deadline.