The Aging Ahead agency is looking for a new home for its Northwest Jefferson County Senior Resource Center currently housed in the Northwest R-1 School District’s Early Childhood Center at 6180 Hwy. MM in House Springs.
The school district has been leasing space in its Early Childhood facility to the agency that operates the senior center for $825 a month since August 2011, but the district needs the space back now to house programs the district is expanding or adding, Northwest Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said.
Aging Ahead will close the Senior Resource Center to the public at the end of April. Then, it will vacate its office space at the resource center at the end of May and finally it will vacate the kitchen area at the end of July. The senior center will continue using the kitchen until July to prepare meals that are sent to the Quad Cities Senior Center housed in the Masonic Lodge at 221 Bailey Road in Crystal City, said M.J. Grothe, the agency’s manager of senior centers.
Grothe said she is hopeful the agency can find a new place in the House Springs area to house the senior center by the end of July. Until then, she encourages seniors to visit the Quad Cities Senior Center at 221 Bailey Road in Crystal City, which is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, or the Arnold Senior Center housed at the Jefferson College North campus at 1687 Missouri State Road, which is open from 12:30-2 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.
She said, on average, between 25 and 30 people show up Monday through Friday at the Northwest senior center, adding that attendance varies depending on the activities and lunch menu at the center each day.
In addition to serving lunch, the agency’s senior centers offer attendees the chance to socialize with other seniors, play games, have parties and hear presentations, Grothe said.
She said Aging Ahead wants to continue its presence in northwest Jefferson County.
“We certainly want to be there and are actively looking for a new location,” she said.
Grothe said the agency will continue its Meals on Wheels program in the area during the transition.
To check out the offerings at the local senior centers, go to the Aging Ahead website at agingahead.org and click on “what we do” and go to “programs, activities and opportunities.”
Aging Ahead used to operate a senior center in De Soto but it closed in December.
Northwest to use space
Hecktor said the Northwest School District notified Aging Ahead in January that it must vacate the Early Childhood Center because the district needs to use the entire building to expand the early childhood program and offer others in the building.
“We’ve enjoyed our partnership with them. It was not an easy decision, not one we wanted to make, but at the point we are now, we need the space.
“We have had a wait list for our early childhood program that has grown steadily, and we have taken other steps to address that. We added an early child classroom at Murphy Elementary, at High Ridge Elementary and at Brennan Woods Elementary, but we still had a wait list,” she said. “We also have increased needs for Parents as Teachers and needed space for that, and we’re going to add two integrated classrooms at the Early Childhood Center, another early childhood ADA class and a district-level program for students with more significant disabilities.
“Those classrooms will open in the fall, but we have to start renovations.”
Hecktor said she’s excited about the changes ahead.
“It’s really going to serve the community very well,” she said. “We’re excited to offer expanded Parents as Teachers. We’re excited also to have a place to work with students who have more significant disabilities better than we can work in the (school) buildings.”