After years of wandering from place to place, it’s time the nomadic Lakes Region Senior Center had its own, permanent home.

And that dedicated space should be at the newly renovated Activities Center at Little Falls School, where the seniors group began meeting in 2011.

The club, which met Mondays through Thursdays in a large room of the former school to play cards, drink coffee and enjoy members’ company, proved quite popular in its early days. It was up to about 75 members and holding weekly luncheons and special events. But, just as it was gaining traction as a social gathering place for the area’s seniors, the town of Gorham told the group it would have to vacate the former school on Route 237 in September 2013 due to a renovation project. Since then, the seniors have met in various privately owned buildings, ranging from the clubhouse at Sunset Ridge Golf Links in Westbrook to the non-winterized White Rock Grange. In December, since the Grange hall doesn’t have a heating system, the group started meeting in the United Church of Christ in North Gorham.

First off, we applaud the Grange, the golf course and the church for opening their doors. But now it’s time for the seniors group, led by Blanche Alexander of Gorham, to get back into the former Little Falls School, whose renovations are now complete. That’s what the seniors group wants, and that’s what they deserve. The Gorham Town Council is likely to decide on the matter in February. We urge the councilors to extend to the club permanent status at the former school, which is now the home base for the Gorham Recreation Department.

Dedicating one room in the large school is the least the town can do to give these seniors what they deserve. It’s a shame they’ve been left adrift for so long, and it’d be more of a shame if the town, which now has the accommodations the group enjoyed and wants to enjoy again, continued to let the group keep searching for a home.

We feel one room isn’t too much to ask since many towns build whole “senior centers” for their aging population. Some Gorham leaders, however, have publicly suggested the town’s taxpayers shouldn’t pay for a dedicated space since half of the group is from surrounding towns. That’s hogwash. Half of the seniors also come from Gorham, correct? Should we keep Windham or Standish motorists off Gorham roads, as well?

The seniors’ request of one room doesn’t seem like too extravagant a cost, compared with the benefits a re-established center can provide the area’s mature population. In comparison, Gorham taxpayers spend tens of millions of dollars each year on children.

The seniors like their former spot because mainly because it’s a large room that can accommodate large items that the seniors can’t transport on a daily basis. Big stuff, like a piano, sofa, card tables and a coffeemaker. There’s also a kitchen nearby, which they use to prepare special meals. And the building’s gym is handy, since many enjoy pickleball, a hybrid of ping-pong and tennis that is growing in popularity.

The former school, located near the Windham line, also has good vehicular and pedestrian access, with plenty of parking spots and a level walking area. There are no stairs the seniors must navigate, either.

Through the years, these older residents have paid their fair share of the cost of running the town and schools. It’s about time an infinitesimal portion of the money they’ve spent on building Gorham went to something that directly benefits them in their old age.

-John Balentine, managing editor