a very long time coming. Sometimes I wondered whether this day would ever come.”
The new center is a state of the art facility. It has a full-service commercial grade kitchen with industrial walk-in refrigerator and freezer. It also is equipped with a laundry facility and a small, but efficient, administrative office complex. Coming through the front doors of the center, the visitor enters a large entry hall with tall ceilings and beautiful furnishings. |
A library room offers seniors a place for quiet study and reading. A large collection of books fill the shelves that line the walls. The library also has two new computers for members to check email and do online research.
Another room is devoted to the making of ceramics. A large ceramics kiln is set up there and the room has all of the facilities needed for the seniors to make beautiful items. As with any new facility, Caldwell was scrambling in the first week to get used to the operations of the building. As we walked through the different rooms, the temperature in one room was cold and in another it was warmer. Caldwell was busy throughout the tour making climate adjustments. “There are a lot of little quirks and things to get used to,” she said. |
will attract more people. Currently the Senior Center has about 250 members. But Caldwell said that she has seen the enrollment increase by nearly 20 people in the last week since the center has opened. “We hope, with the location and the publicity for the new center, that more seniors will be drawn to be involved here,” Caldwell said.
The seniors also intend to involve the broader community to enjoy these new facilities. “We have plans to increase the activities, classes and workshops that we offer,” Caldwell said. “They will have a broad appeal and we would like to open them up to the whole community and not just the seniors.” The facility is open daily from 6:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. An official ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the facility’s grand opening is expected to be held sometime in mid April. |