After over a year of construction, the new Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center is planning to open its doors by early May, according to Kevin MacDonald, executive director of the senior center.
“We are very excited to move into the new Senior Center building — a beautiful and spacious venue worthy of the seniors and the community,” said Robin Clough, volunteers and recreation coordinator at the center.
The new 30,0000-square-foot center will be centrally located on Golden Valley Road and Newhall Ranch Road.
“The new center will offer a vast array of new services and will also continue all the current services,” MacDonald said. “Because of the space we will have, there will be lots of activities and a variety of rooms.”
The new center will have six multi-purpose rooms, an empowerment center, fitness center, dance studio, lounge, medical center, library, financial center, banquet hall, culinary arts kitchen, technology center and outdoor cabana.
“It’s time we move on,” said Eugene Paul, 91. “Santa Clarita is growing, and we need a new center for today’s seniors, but also tomorrow’s.”
With a parking lot that constantly overflows to the street and less than one-third of the square footage of the new center, the senior community has clearly outgrown the current Senior Center location.
More than 9,600 seniors are projected to be in the Santa Clarita Valley within the next four years, raising the total number of seniors to 42,000 by 2022, according to SCV Senior Center Board Member Emeritus Don Kimball, community president for FivePoint, which has been a major contributor to the Senior Center’s fundraising campaign.
“Spending time at the Senior Center makes my day feel useful,” said Ruth Martinez, 76. “Being able to talk to people my age and learn new things is what the Senior Center is all about. We make up a large part of Santa Clarita, and I’m so overjoyed that the community recognizes that enough to help build us a new center.”
Although construction is almost finished, MacDonald says the center is still short on funds to complete the project.
“We’ve received tremendous support from the county, city and the community, but we’re still $500,000 short and are working very hard to continue fundraising,” MacDonald said.
Anyone who donates over $500 can have their name inscribed on the donor wall that will be at the entrance to the center, and can attribute a message in memory of someone.
The new center’s opening ceremony will be announced as soon as construction is completed later this month, MacDonald said.
To donate or learn more about the new senior center, visit newseniorcenter.com, and for more information on the current programs and services offered by the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center, visit myscvcoa.org/ or call the center at 661-259-9444.
