The Chesterfield County Council on Aging was forced to find a temporary new home last week when fire destroyed its facility on Main Street in Chesterfield. For now, that home is the Palmetto Learning Center at the old Edwards Elementary School.
Chesterfield County Schools Superintendent Harrison Goodwin told board members Monday evening he hoped he had not over stepped his boundaries by offering the use of the Palmetto Center without their approval. “I would hope, should we ever find ourselves in this kind of predicament, the community would come to our assistance,” he said.
The Council on Aging offers a lunch program, Goodwin said, “but they will not be cooking to run up the electrical costs.” The meals served each day are cooked else where and simply served through the Council on Aging.
James Sweeney, chairman of the school board, told Goodwin, “By all means, it was the right thing to do.”
“The fire caused an estimated $80,000 in damages and is believed to have started within the electrical system,” said Chesterfield Fire Chief Michael White. His department arrived at the scene of the fire at 8:27 p.m. Jan. 9, after someone passing by noticed flames darting through the roof of the house and called 911.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within about 30 minutes, White said. Their quick response and hard work “kept the entire structure from burning down, allowing some records and the computer information to be salvaged.”
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@civitasmedia.com.
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