Senior Center to open doors Monday
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 26, 2012 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MICHAEL BETTS
Coastline Relocation Mover Cedric Johnson wheels a dolly into the Senior Center in downtown Goldsboro during the moving of furniture and files to the new facility on Ash Street.
The Wayne County Senior Center will close its doors downtown for the final time today before reopening Monday in its new and much larger quarters at 2001 E. Ash St.
And while the center's regular programs will continue uninterrupted, the official public opening will not be until the first week of November.
The move started Thursday, relocating files, storage cabinets and miscellaneous items, said Eryn McAuliffe, director of the Wayne County Services on Aging.
"The new center has new furniture so we won't be moving much of that," she said. "That will give us the weekend to get set up. Oct. 29 will be opening day, but we will not officially open to the public until the first week of November."
Ms. McAuliffe said she is hopeful the move can be completed in one day, allowing time to unpack.
That will enable the staff to have a dry run of operations, to work the bugs out and to ensure that staff is available to talk to the public and to conduct tours, she said.
The center's meal program will remain in operation as well as the center's respite program.
Hours of operation will be expanded. It will be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. On Wednesday, it will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Hot meals are served Monday through Friday through the WAGES meal program.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Oct. 16 for the facility, which was named the Peggy M. Seegars Senior Center in honor of Mrs. Seegars' efforts on behalf of senior citizens.
The 19,000-square-foot facility is located in the former Sportsman's World building, which the county purchased along with two outlying buildings in May 2011.
The center has a 90-space parking lot and a covered drive and an airlock-type door, a large dining area, numerous restrooms, a commercial-style kitchen, an arts and crafts room and several offices that can be used by agencies that offer programs to help seniors.
A park-like area will be built near the adjoining building that houses Literacy Connections of Wayne County and the county Veterans Services office.
An enclosed patio area will be available for people with Alzheimer's disease.
There are two exercise rooms. One will have 10 pieces of exercise equipment and three televisions. The second will be used for line dancing, chair exercises and similar programs.
The wall separating that room from the large dining room is movable. The dining room will seat 210 and moving the wall will expand the seating capacity to 260. The county plans to make the room available for rent.
It also has a computer lab.