Published: May 03, 2009 11:27 pm         

Senior Center stretches out

Lanell Silvers says the Murray County senior center has become her “home away from home.”

“I play pool every day. I play pool, play on the computer, then bowl on the Wii (video game console made by Nintendo),” said Silvers, who was showing off the senior center’s new 2,300-square-foot expansion to some of her friends during an open house on Sunday. She paused in the newly added exercise room to bowl a couple of games.

The expansion, which cost approximately $280,000, was paid for with funds from the 2007 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), said Matt Sanford, project coordinator for sole commissioner’s office.

The addition includes a larger exercise room and a larger billiards room, as well as more bathrooms and storage space. The Murray County transit office, which is located at the senior center, was also expanded.

“We have so much more room,” said Joan Dooley, senior center director. “I’m thankful we have it. We’ve been seeing a lot more new faces since the new exercise room opened.”

The center has approximately 75 people who use the facility daily, Dooley said. The center is open Monday through Friday beginning at 7 a.m.

“A lot come to exercise and to use the computers,” she said. “With more space, we were able to open a computer room.”

The room has three computers, but Dooley hopes to add five more and begin hosting computer classes for seniors.

“Now that we have computers, we can go and play solitaire,” said Martha Sue Ridley.

Ridley says she spends so much time at the senior center she doesn’t have much time left to garden.

Ridley and Silvers say they take advantage of most of the activities and facilities the center offers.

“We love it,” Ridley said. “We don’t miss too many days.”

The former billiards room, which had room for one table and a few chairs along the wall, is now a library and sitting area, Dooley said. The room is also used for quilting and for putting puzzles together, she said.

The expansion, which took approximately six months to complete, opened in December, Sanford said.

Dooley said the open house was postponed from the beginning of this year until a leak in the roof of the older portion of the building could be repaired.

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.