President says programming will return once new facility is ready
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
The Burlington Senior Center is in the midst of its transition to the former Knights of Columbus building on East State Street and is eyeing a possible return to regular programming next week, according to the group’s president.
“I don’t have an exact date, but we’re really looking toward next week for getting programs going again,” Senior Board President Kevin Brierly said. “Everyone is itching to get it back up and running.”
He said the seniors still have several electrical, plumbing and carpentry items to complete before re-opening the facility for general use.
The most pressing need is installation of shelving to provide storage for many of the Senior Center’s items that are currently in boxes that are spread out on tables in the building’s main room at 587 E. State Street.
Most of the items were moved to the new site over the course of two days last week.
Brierly said Senior Center leaders have gotten phone calls from seniors in recent weeks wondering when programming will resume in the new facility.
“I think the driving factor is we’ve had such good weather and many of the seniors want to get out and about,” he said.
It’s difficult to set a specific date, however, since some of the remaining work is dependent on contractors’ schedules, Brierly said.
Once the building is ready, the seniors will resume regular activities, which include the Harmony Club adult day care service and the on-site meal service.
The local Meals on Wheels service, which will also use the new space, has continued uninterrupted since the Senior Center was forced out the Western Racine County Service Center by a broken water pipe in early January, according to Brierly.
The county plans to demolish the aged building at 209 W. Main St., Burlington, sometime this year.
Lease agreement near
The City of Burlington was able to purchase the Knights of Columbus building with a $200,000 grant from the county this past summer. Of that amount, $180,000 went to purchase the building and the balance was used to create a bathroom that is accessible for people with disabilities.
City Administrator Carina Walters said Tuesday the city is working to finalize a long-term lease for the seniors. The two parties have been operating under a temporary lease since a broken water pipe forced the seniors to shut down programs and accelerate the transition to the new building.
To read the full story see the Feb. 1 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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