At a Greenwood senior center, a lack of room means difficulties expanding a popular exercise program and the need to rent space off-site for large gatherings and fundraisers.
Since the start of the year, The Social of Greenwood has added about 120 new members, making its push for a $500,000 grant through the Indiana Office of Urban and Rural Development to completely renovate its facilities even more urgent as it faces continuing programs in its current space.
A recently completed study examined how to best renovate The Social to meet the needs of its current and future members. The study recommended a complete overhaul of the interior of the building so that space is used more efficiently, adding about 30 more parking spaces and a small addition with more room for storage and the food pantry.
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The Social, which provides a place for seniors to meet with their peers, eat meals, exercise, take classes and play games, has about 1,300 members. The non-profit is funded through donations, the United Way of Johnson County, memberships and the city of Greenwood, which provides it $35,000 a year.
The building is a maze to navigate, with many small side rooms and no easily recognizable paths, said Dawn Gray, the principal architect at Springpoint Architects, which created the plans for the remodel.
The interior renovation will eliminate or shrink unused spaces and combine other rooms, focusing on allocating space to the activities most important to The Social, Gray said.
The fitness area will double in size. The multi-purpose meeting room will become slightly larger, but will now be side-by-side with the gym, meaning a removable dividing wall will be able to allow the rooms to be connected to create a large gathering space, she said.
“This is a great deal for Greenwood and a chance to have a real wellness center for seniors,” said Greenwood City Council member Chuck Landon, who is also the council’s liaison to The Social’s board of directors.
The project, which is estimated to cost between $840,000 and $1.2 million, will be done in phases. The senior center is applying for a $500,000 grant and has raised about $100,000 in matching funds to get started on the work, said Andrea Sutherland, executive director.
The goal is to focus first on most of the interior renovations and then move to projects such as expanding the parking lot, she said.
The grant required the city of Greenwood to act as a conduit for the funds, which the Greenwood City Council voted unanimously to give its first approval to earlier this week.
The Social will know by August if it has been awarded the grant, which means work could begin as soon as this winter, Sutherland said.
The first phase is expected to take about five months, and the goal is to keep the site open to members throughout construction, she said.
The Social will continue its fundraising efforts until it has raised enough to finish the remodel, additions and the parking lot, Sutherland said.
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The Social of Greenwood is preparing to begin an overhaul of its facilities and is seeking a state grant. Here’s some details about the plan:
Cost: $840,000 to $1.2 million
Project details: An overhaul of the interior of the building so that space is used more efficiently, adding about 30 more parking spaces and a small addition with more room for storage and the food pantry.
Funding sources: The Social is applying for a $500,000 state grant and has raised $100,000 so far.
How do donate: Contact Andrea Sutherland, the executive director of The Social, at 317-882-4810.
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