TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Plans for Tallahassee’s newest senior center are ahead of schedule and the new Welaunee facility is expected to open this summer, according to city officials.
“I feel like this senior center has been a lifesaver for me,” Beverly Harding said. She was excited to hear of plans for a new senior center, though she appreciates the art classes at the current midtown location.
“Being around other people, especially other artists, and like-minded people, age-wise and career-wise,” Harding said.
The new 40,000-square-foot senior center is on Welaunee Boulevard in the Canopy development. Senior Services Manager Ceola Grant said there will be spaces for health and fitness, a cafe, an art studio, a game room, along with dual basketball and pickleball courts.
“It is very important to have a community built for older adults that is going to have programs that actually address the needs that seniors are looking for in our community,” Grant said. “Whether that’s the arts or the health or just doing those physical fitness activities.”
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Grant also emphasized the importance of prioritizing mental health for older adults through their activities. “That social interaction boosts them in their daily lives as far as having that support,” she said. “Just having a community member that checks on them, talks to them daily, just for them to know that someone is thinking about them and cares about them.”
Harding moved to Tallahassee in 2020 after spending more than 40 years in the Atlanta area. However, she said the transition wasn’t as smooth as she had hoped. “That first year was a little rough, and then I found the senior center,” Harding said. “After I found the senior center, it was like everything changed for me.”
Serving about 400 senior citizens each day, Grant said the new facility is larger than the current one, which will help accommodate more residents.
City of Tallahassee Director of Building Construction John Powell said crews are still working on the inside of the building, and they anticipate having the center open for activities sometime during the summer.
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