TOWNSEND — The senior center has a new 50-inch LCD plasma television thanks to a little help from their friends.
The set in the media room was less than three years old when it began to fail. It came with the building, said Council on Aging Director Chris Clish.
The picture was not clear enough to play Wii bowling, a popular activity with some of the men.
The repair person came once and replaced a part. The repair person came again and replaced yet another part.
Still, the television did not work like it should.
It wasn’t just the bowlers who were being affected; a chair-fitness group uses the set three times a week. Sometimes the center plays shows the seniors want to see in the cozy room.
After she learned that the TV required a third part and that the cost of the repair exceeded the value of the set, Clish was in a pickle.
“We didn’t have the money in our budget to replace it,” she said.
The director reached out to the Friends of the Townsend Seniors. She wrote a letter asking for either a donation toward a TV or to see if they could to purchase one, Clish said.
The Friends came through with a new set. Mark Mercurio, the facilities manager for the town, installed it Nov. 20. Clish has plans for the media room. The room is available on Thursday afternoon for women to play Wii.
“It hasn’t quite happened yet,” she said.
“If they did bowling, they could have a tournament against the men,” Clish said.
“That would be fun,” she said.
The staff and seniors are very appreciative of the generosity of the Friends in purchasing the television, Clish said.
“We thank them so very much,” she said.
The old television may yet see some use.
“It might be going to the library. It’s sort of OK for DVDs,” Clish said.
The Friends have made other large donations to the new center, Clish said. Before the center moved from Main Street, the group purchased a copier for the new facility. The Friends also subsidize the annual Thanksgiving meal, now held at the meeting hall adjacent to the senior center.
The Friends of the Townsend Seniors will be holding a volunteer appreciation luncheon in the meeting hall on Saturday, Jan. 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
