Senior center discussed at Canonsburg Borough meeting
Natalie Reid Miller / Observer-Reporter
Canonsburg Senior Center member Carolyn Dunklin, in hat, looks on as lunch is served Thursday. Between 45 and 60 seniors are served lunch daily at the center.
CANONSBURG – Local senior citizens converged on the borough building Monday in response to a rumor their beloved senior center would be closed.
“No one ever said we are getting rid of the senior center,” said Canonsburg Borough manager Bob Kipp. “This ‘closing’ was taken way out of context.”
The misunderstanding, he said, came about after he and an engineer inspected the building at 30 E. Pike St. to determine renovation costs for the questionably aged structure.
The borough owns the building that houses Canonsburg Area Senior Citizens Center, which officials believed was built in the 1970s. An inspection, however, revealed terra-cotta bricks, which haven’t been used in construction since the 1930s.
Regardless of its age, Kipp said the building is in dire need of repairs, but neither he nor council plans to kick seniors to the curb.
“We value our seniors,” he said. “They are a valuable part of our community.”
The senior center, funded by Washington County and Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, pays the borough $175 per month in rent, covers some bills and buys some equipment. Between 45 and 60 local seniors attend daily for a nutritious meal and to participate in the many activities offered.
“We’re more than bingo,” said Carolyn Dunklin, member and former center president. “It’s a means for people who need to get out and feel they’re important.”
The center is a hub of many diverse endeavors, including classes, health screenings, exercise programs, travel and volunteer opportunities.
“It means a lot to us,” Dunklin said. “It would be a terrible loss for it not to be here. A lot of people look forward to meals and conversing with people they’ve known for years.”
While the building needs to be updated, Dunklin said the central location, close to transportation, shopping and the library, is ideal for seniors.
“It has served us,” she said.
A list of needed improvements will be completed by Chester Engineers, including a new heating and air conditioning system, a fire suppression system estimated at about $15,000 and a new roof estimated at more than $50,000.
The borough budgets $5,000 per year for the building, which seniors have been using since 1977.
“It’s a community focal point,” said Mary Lynn Spilak, director of Washington County Aging Services. “It’s one of the most positive public entities in the community.”
Kipp said that depending on the engineer’s finding, the borough may have to consider new construction, which he speculated could be funded through grants or local share account revenue from gambling proceeds at The Meadows Casino.
In the meantime, he said, officials are “figuring out how to continue to provide a much-needed place for seniors.”