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Seniors may get another center

Oscar Brim hardly misses a day at the Tallahassee Senior Center, where he shoots pool and socializes with friends.

Starting next year, Brim and other seniors could have a new place to go for recreation, exercise and a variety of classes. The city of Tallahassee and Leon County Schools are moving forward with plans to open a senior center at Wesson Elementary School, which is closing this year.

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Brim, 73, lives off Centerville Road but has family on the south side and likes to shop there. He and others are excited about the prospects of a new senior center in that part of town.

"I know I would go," said Brim, a retired city truck driver.

The city's Senior Services provides activities for about 12,000 seniors a year, and demand is growing as the senior population grows. But the senior center on North Monroe Street, a former armory, doesn't have the space for new programs or more workers, said Sheila Salyer, the Senior Services manager. Opening an additional center at Wesson would fix that problem.

"It's an exciting project for the whole community," she said. "It's an investment in the community because it makes services more accessible to more people, which ultimately keeps them healthier."

Bryan Desloge, a local businessman, helped dream up the idea. In 2004, he was serving as a board member for the Senior Center Foundation and dealing with the space issue. He also was on a school committee overseeing new building projects.

The school system was planning on closing Wesson and moving students to Bond Elementary School, which is under construction. Desloge thought Wesson, located at Orange Avenue and Meridian Road, would be an ideal place for a senior center.

"It really is going to be, we think, one of the turning points for the neighborhood," he said.

Both city and school officials have expressed enthusiasm for the project, although they have yet to make a final decision. One possibility is that the School Board will enter into a long-term, low-cost lease with the city for use of the school. If everything moves as planned, the center could open in early 2007.

The school has a new roof and is in good condition, which means renovation costs would be low. The Monroe Street facility has 26,000 square feet; Wesson, built in 1948, has 43,000 square feet.

Desloge, a Leon County Commission candidate, is hoping nonprofit agencies that help seniors will lease space in the center to offset its operating cost. Organizers are considering other offerings, including a nonprofit bookstore and cafe. They're planning town-hall meetings later this year to see what the community wants in terms of programs and services.

Toni Matthews, 84, lives in Indian Head Acres, one of the neighborhoods that the center would serve. She takes watercolor and other classes at the center on Monroe Street but would spend time at the new center, too.

"If it's closer, I'd certainly go there because coming across town at 5 o'clock is pretty bad," said Matthews, a retired Florida State University professor.

Leon County's population of people age 65 and older increased 40 percent from 1990 to 2003.

Tallahassee's 65-77 age group increased 77 percent from 1990 to 2000.

By 2030, Leon County's overall population will have grown an estimated 1.4 percent a year, while the 65-79 population will have grown 6.5 percent a year.

Posted on Friday, May 12, 2006 (Archive on Friday, May 12, 2006)
Posted by jerry Contributed by jerry

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