East Aurora Advertiser

Marilla Receives County Grant Funding for Community Center



The kitchen at the Marilla Community Center on Two Rod Road will receive a few upgrades with the help of Erie County grant money.

The Marilla Town Board held a special meeting earlier this month to accept funding from Erie County’s Community Development Block Grant program. This money comes from the federal government and is allocated to local towns that apply to the county with a specific project in mind. Supervisor Earl Gingerich, Jr. said that he was contacted by county officials to see if there were any projects that would qualify under the grant funding. According to Gingerich, the county had additional funding and if Marilla met the specifications, it could qualify for $10,000. The community center met the criteria because it is used for the senior lunch program twice a week. 

Gingerich said that Town Clerk Dawn Pearce, who oversees the lunch program, has said that over the years as the program has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to work in the current kitchen at the community center.

“When the food is delivered it has to stay in the hall because it won’t fit into the kitchen and we don’t have enough counter space to put the salads together,” Pearce said.

Marilla Town Clerk Dawn Pearce initiated the program in 2016 after hearing that census data showed that the Town of Marilla had the second-highest number of seniors in the community compared to the rest of the county.

Erie County Senior Services supplies everything, from food to utensils to garbage bags. 

Lunches are served on Mondays and Fridays to approximately 20 seniors from Marilla, Elma and Alden each day. Sometimes portions of the meals need to be assembled. This can be difficult without adequate kitchen space.

“There isn’t enough counter space and there are times we need a second fridge,” Pearce said.

Senior Coordinator Helen Bourgeois said that the kitchen feels crowded with three adults in it.

Gingerich said that the amount for this grant is adequate to make upgrades and the town isn’t looking to add an expensive commercial kitchen. He said that most of the work can be done in-house using members of the highway department, and they are compiling figures for him to break down the cost of expanding the space, adding more counters and a second refrigerator.

“We have talented people willing to do the work. We aren’t going to put out something elaborate. The community center was not built to be used as a restaurant or a banquet hall. It was built to accommodate programs like 4-H and other community groups,” Gingerich said. “It shows that this town is responsible with spending tax dollars. More towns should be like rural communities. If they were, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

The Marilla Town Board will meet again for a work session on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. in the Marilla Town Hall, located on Two Rod Road.

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