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Progress continues on new senior center
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| By: THERESE APEL, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
November 04, 2009 |
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Photo By THERESE APEL
Sun reflects off the south side of the Jimmy Furlow Senior Citizens Center, which is still undergoing construction. The original completion date was slated for Nov. 15, but officials said extensive rain in October has knocked the opening of the center back, possibly to the end of the year.
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It is simply a matter of time before area seniors will be enjoying fun and fellowship at the new senior citizens center downtown next to the government complex, and there are plenty of spokes in the wheel as it gets to turning.
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First of all, the facility, which the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen voted to name the Jimmy Furlow Senior Citizens Center, now has a director.
Nancy Ray, 23, of Hattiesburg, will be at the helm of the center. She brings with her a degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Southern Mississippi, and experience working for assisted living facilities in Hattiesburg. She said she and Brookhaven Recreation Department Director Terry Reid are implementing some ideas that will be put into place once the building is open to the public.
"The senior citizens here need more opportunities for recreation and leisure," she said. "This will be a good opportunity for them to do some social networking."
Reid said there has already been a lot of interest in what is up and coming for the center, which will be a little longer in opening because the exceptionally wet fall has held up some of the construction. So in answer to the public interest, recreation department officials have planned a public forum for Nov. 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the recreation department to allow area residents to give their ideas, ask questions and just generally do some information gathering on what the new center will have in store.
"We know we'll have computers and game days, advanced and beginner art classes," Reid said.
Most of the classes at the complex, which has been completely funded by grants and budget money provided by the city, will be free, Reid and Ray said. Some will have a minor fee, however, to cover instructor or supply costs.
Meanwhile, there will also be opportunities for adults age 50 and up to leave their mark on the center. One of the classes that will be offered is a gardening class.
"We'll have a sitting area and garden spot out back, and we'll have classes on gardening where they can plant stuff in the garden," Reid said. "They'll be able to weed and maintain the garden too."
Copiah-Lincoln Community College will provide the computers and some of the instruction, Reid said, and other parts of the curriculum will be built around feedback from the Nov. 10 meeting.
And while the project was scheduled for completion on or around Nov. 15, it now looks like it could be later than that thanks to weather-related construction holdups.
"We hope it'll be complete by the end of the year," Ray said.
Reid said the senior citizens center will be an important addition because there really isn't anything for older adults to do for recreation in Brookhaven at the moment.
"We've never had anywhere like this before," he said. "This is the first time we've every had anything for seniors, and it's centrally located in the middle of town. Right now baby boomers are becoming senior citizens, and there's more emphasis on having a place of their own."
In addition, recreation department officials said, with two assisted living facilities planned for building in Brookhaven, it has become more important that the retirement community have a draw for retirees.
"There needs to be a place that's not a kid place," Reid said. "This will be a place designed specifically for seniors."
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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