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Construction to start on new senior center

Contributed by: valleynews .com on 9/23/2008

Construction will begin in January on Glendale's new, modern senior center, which will encompass 18,400 square feet.

All together, with new fabricated buildings, it will sit on an expanded three acres or about 130,000 square feet, according to George Chapjian, director of the parks, recreation and community services department.

"In combination with the adjacent city library that footage essentially amounts to the full, gigantic width and length of one large city block," he said.

Present buildings used for senior service a and activities will be demolished. Already funded by the city, cost of construction is estimated at $12.15 million. However, lower bids are anticipated.

This development, delayed for several years, replaces the current landscape and buildings of the present Adult Recreation Center (ARC), located at 201 E. Colorado Blvd., Glendale.

Facilities will feature seven lavishly contemporary buildings to meet the needs of baby boomers.

"For our growing and aging population, the new center will provide more fitness activities and an innovation of allowing evening hours to accommodate those still working," Chapjian said. "It also permits expanded staging activities and services to hold dinners, dancing, and movies."

The new center will boast the best food bargain in the city, he points out. As it does now, the Senior Café offers well-balanced, nutritious lunches served daily, each at the low price of $2.50. That's a real bargain for seniors who are on fixed incomes, Chapjian said.

When visiting ARC, seniors may enjoy recreational activities such as backgammon, bingo, billiards, gardening, Senior Olympics, holiday festivities and craft workshops.

Among important health and safety activities, members may attend a driver's safety class, flu shot clinic, pedestrian safety session, blood screens, lectures on long-term care planning and elderly fraud prevention.

Will the new center get a name change once the buildings are constructed? Plans are to keep the same name as ARC, as it does now, but could be renamed the "Glendale Senior Center" or the "Glendale Adult Center."

Those are debatable points, Chapjian said. Some elders object to using the word "senior" as part of the full name. Others prefer the simple "Adult Center." Chapjian believes the name will remain Adult Recreation Center.

The subject was by raised by Glendale Mayor John Drayman at a recent meeting of the Glendale Chapter 1886 of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

He said he has concerns about any fundamental name change and expects the parks, recreation and community services department and the Glendale City Council to review the question.

Currently, there are some 28,000 Glendale resident over 65 years old, representing 14 percent of the population.

The center is expected to be completed in August 2010.


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Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Jackie Houchin
posted on 10/3/2008 @ 7:35:59 AM
(Not Rated)
Very interesting. And 2010 isn't that far off. I'm for NOT changing the name. Using "adult" sounds like a home where the aged are put to be out of the way, whereas "senior" keeps the idea of a fun place for senior citizens to go on day trips
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valleynews .com

Woodland Hills , CA

valleynews .com has posted 6 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/23/2008. valleynews .com 's average story rating is 5.
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