SUNDERLAND — The South County Senior Center Board of Oversight narrowed its sights to the South Deerfield Congregational Church and the Whately Town Offices, as it continues to nail down the best location for the center’s future home.

In a meeting held on Saturday, Oct. 5, the Board of Oversight voted to narrow down its scope on a feasibility study for the Senior Center’s future home to the Deerfield and Whately locations, which are both town-owned, while eliminating the former Sinauer Associates/Oxford University Press building at 23 Plumtree Road in Sunderland.

The board will send its recommendation to the Deerfield Selectboard, which will direct consultant edmStudio to compile more detailed financial analysis and potential layouts for the two sites, according to Board of Oversight Chair and Whately Selectboard member Joyce Palmer-Fortune. Deerfield is the fiduciary agent for the Senior Center.

“Deerfield has the issues, that would surely be the biggest delay, but there are some interesting possibilities because of that campus,” Palmer-Fortune said. She said later that the Whately site’s “other barriers kind of seem smaller.”

The Senior Center would need approximately 12,000 to 15,000 square feet of space to meet its needs and both potential sites would need some work to accommodate the center.

In Deerfield, the Board of Oversight, as well as the town, are looking at potentially using the South Deerfield Congregational Church as the future home for the Senior Center. The church is currently home to Tilton Library, while its expansion project is under construction.

There are several ideas to place the center in the church. The town could remodel the church and add an addition; split space between the church and the current Town Hall, which will be vacated in the future when the 1888 Building project is completed; or the town could tear down the church, which is the least-desired option.

At the Whately Town Offices, at 4 Sandy Lane, the 20-year-old building is a modern structure compared to the 203-year-old church, but it would need an approximately 10,000-square-foot addition to meet the Senior Center’s needs.

The Oct. 5 meeting followed an open house held by the South County Senior Center that week, in which residents provided feedback on their preferred location for the center, as well as their preferences on programs the center offers.

As the process moves forward, Board of Oversight and Deerfield Selectboard member Trevor McDaniel said residents need to continue to be plugged in on the matter, as the only way to fund a large project such as this is to show people in all three communities are willing to put money toward it.

“You’re going to need multiple meetings to get people to attend and understand what’s in front of us,” McDaniel said. “What the true need is of the community, regardless of where it goes, and get a sense from the communities if they have an appetite for that.”

Chris Larabee can be reahced at clarabee@recorder.com.