Though the date has not yet been set, Patti Drelick, director of senior services, took another step toward the groundbreaking for the 1,500-square-foot expansion to the Ingram Senior Center.

On Monday, Oct. 13, selectmen gave Drelick the green light to choose a contractor and begin work on the project that has been on the center’s drawing boards for about two years now. Drelick said she hoped work could begin in the very near future.

Funding for the construction will come directly from Salem’s Council on Aging, which has raised $500,000 over the past seven years for senior-related improvements and programs.

The only impact to the town’s taxpayers will be an increase in cost for utilities to cover the 10 percent growth in the center’s floorspace, though Drelick believes further fundraising efforts will cover much, if not all, of those costs going forward. The council raised the funds for the expansion in part with the Rockingham Park racetrack’s Poker Room, which donates a portion of their income to local charities, and other fundraising activities like the senior center’s thrift shop.

According to Drelick, the expansion will move the front door of the center to the side of the building.

“First and foremost, we’re excited about how its going to move our front entrance to the side of the building that’s level with the parking lot. That’s going to be a huge safety factor for our seniors,” she said. “In inclament weather it is especially difficult.”

The extra room will give administrators a chance to move out of the space they’re currently occupying – originally meant as an extra room for seniors using the center – and install a reception desk at the front entrance.

“It will create an administrative hub,” Drelick said. “As soon as people enter from the lobby, there will be a customer center desk there with everything there to help our customers. Behind that will be the support offices. It will help streamline our efforts.”

Creating a new lobby for the building will mean more space inside the center for more seniors, according to Drelick.

In all, the expansion will result in a change in how the center is managed by relocating many of the existing administrative functions. For example, the fundraising team will move out of an unheated room behind the multi-purpose room that was originally intended as closet space for the center.

Additionally, Drelick expects to free up between 15 and 20 extra parking spaces when the new front lobby is opened and the paved circle outside the existing entrance is converted into a parking lot.