Older Adults
Essex Area Senior Center
Summary
Effective January 1, 2024:
Essex Junction Recreation & Parks (EJRP), the recreation department that serves the City of Essex Junction, has assumed oversight of the Essex Area Senior Center (EASC).
The Town of Essex Senior Bus Service no longer serves residents of the City of Essex Junction.
The contact information for EJRP is:
Mark Brislin, Assistant Recreation Director
75 Maple Street
802-878-1375
mbrislin@ejrp.org
Senior Center Days, Hours, Staffing
The current schedule for the Senior Center:
Mondays
- Not Open
Tuesdays
10a.m.-1:00p.m. – Bingo - $2 fee, bring your own lunch, lunch break at 11:30a.m.
EJRP staff will open, monitor, and close the Center.
Wednesdays
Not open
Thursdays
11:00a.m.-12:00p.m. – Briscola – no fee
12:30-3:30p.m. – Duplicate Bridge – no fee, bring a partner
EJRP staff will open, monitor, and close the Center.
Fridays
10a.m.-12p.m. – Mah Jongg
EASC volunteers will open, monitor, and close the Center. In the absence of a volunteer, the Center will not be open that day.
Renovations at Lincoln Hall
At some point in 2024 and into 2025, Lincoln Hall (2 Lincoln Street – the location of the City Offices, Essex CHIPS, Essex Teen Center, Essex Area Senior Center) will be closed for renovations to the building. Based on the currently anticipated timeline, the Senior Center space will no longer be usable for its current purposes effective May 1, 2024. It will likely be available again sometime in the spring of 2025. These are good faith estimates at this time and are subject to change. During renovations to the rest of the building, the Senior Center space will serve as the temporary office for the City of Essex Junction.
When the renovations begin, the current Senior Center programming will continue to be supported in a different space(s). Spaces are currently being explored and a schedule and locations will be shared later in the winter.
SSTA Bus Option
The Special Service Transportation Agency (SSTA) offers an ADA paratransit program for residents who live within 3/4 of a mile from a fixed route bus service, provided by Green Mountain Transit (GMT), and have a disability that prevents them from walking to or waiting for a bus. Regarding the mile threshold, almost all of the City of Essex Junction qualifies with exceptions being a handful of households within neighborhoods at the western end of South Street, Cascade Street, and Dunbar Drive and a few households at the northern edge of Old Colchester Road. In order to utilize the service, an application must be completed and processed in advance (can take up to three weeks). Applicants will need a certified healthcare professional to verify their disability. The cost per ride for the user is $2.50. There are hard copies of the application materials at the Senior Center. The application and further information can be found here:
https://ridegmt.com/paratransit-application/
Senior Center Memberships
Due to being open only for the first three months of 2024 at Lincoln Hall, before vacating for renovations, there will be no membership fees for the Senior Center until further notice.
How Can I Find Information About the Senior Center and Programming
www.ejrp.org/olderadults
802-878-1375
Easy Flow Yoga
Easy Flow Yoga combines many components of a well-rounded yoga practice with simple sequencing and longer hold times of some poses. Connect to your body and breath for an hour and return to the world a more centered you. This class is available to those with some yoga experience, regardless of age and gender. Yogis should bring a mat or blanket to practice on.
ALL AGES / MAPLE STREET PARK MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM
SPRING SESSION: FRI, MARCH 15 - APRIL 19 | 9-10am | $65 OR $13 DROP-IN
NATALIE BOYLE, REGISTERED YOGA TEACHER
Women’s Pick Up Basketball
Join us each Tuesday night for female only, non-competitive pick-up games for fun and fitness. Join this amazing group of women ballers to get back into shape and work on your game!
18+ / FLEMING
SPRING SESSION: TUE, MARCH 5 - MAY 28
SUMMER SESSION: TUE, JUNE 4 - AUGUST 27
7:30–9PM
$40
AMANDA DALL AND VOLUNTEERS
Men’s Pick-Up Basketball
Time to stretch those muscles and get in shape. Join us for pick-up basketball, fun, and fitness every Tuesday night.
18+ / EMS
SPRING SESSION: TUE, MARCH 5 - MAY 28
SUMMER SESSION: TUE, JUNE 4 - AUGUST 27
7:30–9:30PM
$40
ROBERT HAGGERTY AND VOLUNTEERS
Dog/Puppy Essentials
This class shows you how to have a happy, confident, well-behaved dog. It consists of 3 important skills: practical straight-up obedience (don’t drag me down the street, come when I call, etc.), life skills (don’t jump on my friends, chill out, etc.), and understanding your dog’s body language.
Along with a simple 4-step approach for teaching your dog almost anything you'll also get a course booklet and weekly training guides; force-free training; ongoing free email/phone support after the class ends; and a student-focused instructor with 20+ years’ experience teaching people and dogs.
18+ | Maple Street Recreation Center
Sat, April 6 - May 11 | 9:30-10:30AM or 10:45-11:45AM
$165 with a dog / $65 without dog
Instructor: Deb Helfrich, Gold Star Dog Training
This class is a prerequisite for the Therapy Dog Academy class.
Therapy Dog Academy
Prerequisite: Permission from the instructor or prior participation in a Gold Star class.
So, your dog wants to be a therapy dog? Well, we’ve got a course for that! This 6-week course gives dogs and handlers the necessary skills for not only passing the test but also for working successfully as a therapy dog team.
18+ | Maple Street Recreation Center
Sat, April 6 - May 11 | 12:00-1:00PM
$185 with a dog / $80 without dog
Instructor: Deb Helfrich, Gold Star Dog Training
PlanWell Financial Education Workshops
Join Baystate Financial for four different financial education workshops this spring. PlanWell is not a generalized introductory program for all. Instead, it delivers a unique, individualized financial experience to you. The objective? To help you realize your financial goals, whether you’re saving for a house, paying off student debt, or planning for retirement. This four-part series will help you understand how your benefits fit into your overall financial picture.
75 Maple Street or over Zoom
Instructor: Cathy Duffy
Free
SaveWell | March 18, 2024 | 6:30pm
InvestWell | April 15, 2024 | 6:30pm
LiveWell | May 20, 2024 | 6:30pm
ProtectWell | June 10, 2024 | 6:30pm