Senior Center Parking Improvement Planned

Jewell Barnett and husband Clyde Barnett dance Thursday at the Springdale Senior Center. The Barnetts will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary later this month and go to many of the senior centers in the county to dance for their health. The center and the city are going to split the cost of paving the center’s parking lot.
Jewell Barnett and husband Clyde Barnett dance Thursday at the Springdale Senior Center. The Barnetts will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary later this month and go to many of the senior centers in the county to dance for their health. The center and the city are going to split the cost of paving the center’s parking lot.

— The city’s Senior Center should soon have a new parking lot.

The City Council approved on Tuesday spending up to $230,000 for paving and drainage improvement to the center’s lot at 203 Park St. The center is operated by the Area Agency on Aging.

The improvement is much needed, said seniors who were playing pinochle at the center Thursday.

“The parking lot is not very smooth and you can’t walk on it,” said Jean Griesing. “The gravel part is very rough.”

“The lot is full at lunch,” said Dorothy Minnich. “People don’t want to walk across a busy street to get here.”

The center had 150 people eat lunch Thursday, said Lori Proud, center director.

“We don’t have enough parking for that many people,” Proud said. “Some people drive through and go home when they can’t find a spot.”

The city purchased a house adjacent to the parking lot in July 2010 for $87,000, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and financial affairs. The house was removed to create more parking, but the new area was covered in gravel while money was raised for paving.

“We raised about $50,000,” Proud said. “Some of it went to remove asbestos from the house and tear it down.”

The concrete in the old lot is deteriorating, said Allen Pugh, city engineering coordinator. “We need to replace it and fix the drainage.”

Puddles of water remain on the parking lot after rain, Griesing said, creating slippery spots, especially in cold weather.

Repairing the old lot, fixing the drainage and paving the new section is estimated to cost $250,000, according to an engineering estimate. The center has about $30,000 to contribute to the project, Proud said.

The council asked the Planning Department to take quotes on the project. If the quotes are low enough, the council could waive competitive bidding. That move would allow the project to be completed sooner, Pugh said.

The council wanted to support the city’s senior citizens, said Alderman Jim Reed.

“I know people have fallen in the parking lot, or nearly fallen,” Reed said. “We need to get this project done.”

The council asked that the quotes be ready in four weeks.

Upcoming Events