Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Crews Begin Moving Dirt At Senior Citizen Center

Dirt work has begun on the new Prescott Senior Adult Center at the corner of Fifth and Main.

Center director Irma Sue Purtle said a grant of $325,000 was received to help pay for construction, while about $100,000 has been raised locally to help with the building costs.

However, this still leaves the center about $75,000 short as total costs are expected to be in the area of $500,000, she said.

Getting the building built will cost $417,000, Purtle said, but this figure doesn't include construction of a parking lot, furnishing the interior or paying the architects fees.

Purtle said the city and county have offered to help out with getting the parking lot built to reduce costs.

The need for a new building arose because of the age of the existing one. The current senior adult center was built in the 1930s as a WPA project.

Now, Purtle said, the southeast corner of the building is falling into the ground and has been redone, but won't hold up.

The building has also been stabilized before, but because of the shifting clay soil in the region, the problem remains.

Because of the shifts, the commodes must be reseated regularly, and the plumbing in constantly in need of repair.

Three roofs have been put on the facility, with the last one installed three years ago, but the building still leaks.

Walls in the center have cracks, which allows the interior air to escape, driving heating and cooling costs up. It's also poorly insulated, Purtle said.

The original idea, she said, was to try and completely redo the current building, but the state wouldn't provide any grant money to do this kind of renovation.

So a new building had to be constructed. It will be better insulated, she said, which will help reduce energy costs.

The new structure will also have space for an exercise room, a game room, arts and crafts, a cafeteria, office space for the staff, a larger kitchen, storage area for the food items and ample parking so the visitors don't have to cross any streets.

According to Purtle, the food vendors will be able to deliver their goods directly to the storage room, and not have to cart the boxes through the main part of the building.

At this time, she said, many visitors to the center have to cross streets as there is little parking at the center itself.

"We work with 80 to 100 seniors a day," Purtle said, "including the homebound. We expect participation at the center to increase with the new building. It will be a nice, homey place to go."

Purtle said everyone is welcome to come and visit the new center when it's finished. But, it will primarily be for those 60 and older, or those who have spouses 60 and above.

There will be plenty of activities to keep patrons busy, she said, including bingo, dominoes, cards, singing, with there being a possibility movies will be rented now and then.

Senior adult centers, she said, help keep senior citizens healthier by giving them somewhere to go and something to look forward to. They can keep some from having to be placed in nursing homes.

"I wish more people would get involved," she said. "You don't have to be poor to come, this isn't a welfare program."