Gorham is truly a wonderful place to live. And the fact that we are the fastest-growing community in the state of Maine is a testament to that. We are nicely situated in between the Atlantic coast and Sebago Lake and within a half an hour drive to either the city of Portland or the mountains. We have one of the best school systems in southern Maine and a wonderful village center with historical homes, restaurants and shops.

But we have a lot of work to do to manage our growth wisely. One of which is to find ways to support our growing senior population. Did you know that over 11 percent of Gorham’s population is over 65 years of age? That’s an estimated 1,837 people, according to the 2013 U.S. Census American Community Survey. And that number has been steadily increasing – in 2012 it was estimated at 1,725, and in 2010 it was estimated at only 808.

Seniors are an important part of any community. They provide a sense of perspective – after all they’ve been around and experienced a heck of a lot more than most of us. They volunteer a lot of time to support community services, places of worship, and schools. In today’s world with high costs of living, they provide many families with much needed child care support and in many cases, a shared home.

But seniors need a place to congregate – to share their stories and be around others of their own generation, to continue learning and share skills. According to the National Council on Aging, research shows that “older adults who participate in senior center programs can learn to manage and delay the onset of chronic disease and experience measurable improvements in their physical, social, spiritual, emotional, mental, and economic well-being.” And here is a startling statistic: “Approximately 70 percent of senior center participants are women; half of them live alone.”

Gorham currently allows the Lakes Region Senior Center to meet at the Little Falls Recreational Center, but they do not have a dedicated space. This means that every time they go they have to set up and break down their room. Not an easy task to do when you are elderly. This limits their ability to grow their programs and activities because it’s not a secure, dedicated space. Seniors need a sense of security – without a dedicated space they cannot plan and develop robust programs.

We had an opportunity to provide a dedicated space for the Lakes Region Senior Center at the Little Falls Rec Center, but the town council voted it down (two yeas, Roullard and Benner; five nays). An amendment was proposed by Councilor Ben Hartwell to have it be a Gorham Senior Center instead of being the Lakes Region Senior Center to alleviate some concerns about it supporting out-of-towners, but that was also voted down.

The Gorham House has a wonderful facility, but it is for its own residents. They don’t have the square footage to provide space for the greater Gorham senior population – and quite frankly, that is the town’s responsibility. Michelle Belhumeur, executive director of Gorham House, was sympathetic, saying, “I feel that it’s embarrassing that the town of Gorham has not made this a priority. We really need a dedicated space for our Senior Center. In previous towns that I have lived in, they have beautiful accommodations with great square footage to accommodate the various interests of our seniors. I wish we had room at Gorham House to assist with this need. We would have been the first to volunteer to help.”

We do a lot to support our youth, but in comparison, very little to support our seniors. It’s time we invested a little more of our time and money into improving the lives of our elderly population. Gorham can do better.

Marla J. Stelk is a resident of Gorham.