The Big Move: CFAL Closes To Relocate To Com Center

CHATHAM – At the Center for Active Living on Stepping Stones Road, boxes are piled up in offices, stickers denoting different destinations decorate furniture, and inventories have been made of everything inside the building.

 On Monday, June 15 at 7 a.m., movers will begin transporting some of the facility’s contents to storage and others to the community center, which will be the new home of council on aging programming and offices for the next year.

 Tomorrow (Friday, June 12) is the last day the Center for Active Living (CFAL) will be open before a year of renovation and expansion work begins on the structure. Programming will resume at the community center on Monday, June 22.

 The move and temporary quarters will mean compromises, and changes to the routines of seniors is always difficult, said Director of Community Services Leah LaCross. Staff has worked hard to minimize the disruption.

 “We knew it wouldn’t be ideal, but the reward on the other side is worth it,” she said.

 The reward is an expanded and modernized building with better programming spaces and offices to serve the town’s senior population. Voters at the May annual town meeting appropriated the final $200,000 necessary to fund the $5.2 million project, the culmination of years of effort to upgrade the council on aging headquarters. Numerous efforts to gain support for a new building failed to pass muster at town meeting — by just a single vote in two instances — resulting in the plans to expand and renovate the Stepping Stones Road building.

 The project was initially scheduled to happen last year, after voters in May 2025 appropriated $5 million for the work. CFAL staff started planning for the move, although it had to be postponed so that the renovation plans could be refined. But that meant that preparations were ready to move forward this spring.

 “Nothing had to be reinvented,” LaCross said in an interview last week. Aside from packing up files and equipment — some of which will go to the community center, some to the trailer at the center which will serve as temporary offices, and some to long-term storage — staff members worked with program participants and groups that meet at the CFAL to keep them updated on the schedule. A special “Relocation Issue” of the COA’s newsletter The Flash was published with specifics about program relocation and schedules.

 “We feel really prepared at this point,” LaCross said.

 For the past year, staff has been working to integrate CFAL programs into the community center schedule, said Deputy Director of Community Services Aimee Howell. 

 “So far we have been able to accommodate CFAL programming thanks in large part to the understanding and flexibility of both the CFAL and our community groups,” she wrote in an email. “Our goal has been to minimize, if not completely avoid, interruptions to community center and CFAL programming, and to date we have been able to achieve that.” She asked for the public to be patient while the two programs share the space.

 “Is it perfect? No,” LaCross said of sharing the facility. “But the team worked hard to collectively integrate [programs] into the community center. We have really strong planners here.”

 Several COA programs are already being held at the community center, such as chair yoga, indoor walking and fitness. After a pause for the move, the Ryder’s Cove Respite program will resume in the club room on the second floor of the community center on June 23. Other programs, such as games and group activities, will resume at the community center on Monday, July 6. Clinical, transportation and other services will continue to be available during the move and after.

 To help seniors navigate the new spaces, COA Department Assistant Maeline Ittner will be stationed at a desk in the community center lobby. Offices located in a large trailer on the lawn outside the community center’s main entrance will house staff but won’t be open to the public due to lack of accessibility, LaCross said.

Other programs have found space elsewhere. The caregiver support group will meet at the Eldredge Public Library, monthly birthday parties will be held at the VFW, SHINE appointments will move to the town offices, the Meals on Wheels program will relocate to the First United Methodist Church, and the monthly footcare clinic will move to the Harwich Community Center.

 The Healthy Meals in Motion program, which provides grocery pickup for seniors, will be held at the department of public works building on Crowell Road.

 While the move will certainly cause some disruption, the timing could be worse, LaCross noted.

 “The good news for us is that the CFAL slows down in the summer,” she said. For the community center, summer is busy, with youth recreation programs bringing in hundreds of youngsters. While there was initially concern about the traffic and potential conflicts that might create, LaCross said schedules have been adjusted to minimize the disruption of all of the programs. It’s also a chance for staff from the CFAL and the recreation and beach department to work together and for seniors to mix with young people.

 “We’ve never had that opportunity,” she said. Because summer traffic can make it challenging to get to the community center, she added that program participants are being urged to carpool when possible.

 The planning process emphasized the need for continuity of the CFAL’s services and programs, LaCross said. Staff will continue to answer phone calls during the move and after.

 “We’re here for you,” she said. “Our doors remain open to everybody who needs us. Don’t shy away just because we’re in a different location.”

 The construction project is expected to take about a year. If all goes well, the newly expanded CFAL building will reopen next July, LaCross said.

 Residents can call 508-945-5190 with questions about the move or COA programs.