The Macon County Senior Center has needed a new location for years, dealing with inadequate space inside, limited parking, and working to make do with a building not built to accommodate seniors’ needs.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners has been discussion office space needs for years. A county space needs assessment from Moseley Architects was delivered in late 2019, establishing a clear office space need for the Sheriff’s Office, courthouse, detention center, Southwestern Community College, Nantahala Library and Senior Services, among others. The need for a new Board of Elections office has also been discussed.
Some projects, such as the library and SCC, have been completed or are in the works, but the Senior Center remains in the same beginning stages of discussion years later. Many of the issues with the current center come from the unique needs of running a Seniors Services department.
“One of the largest issues we have to consider is programs that are interesting to older adults of a variety of ages, interests and abilities,” said Senior Services Director Jennifer Hollifield. “For example, in our activities area, our participants can range in age from 50 to 100 with a wide variety of abilities, such as limited mobility to full mobility. In addition, not everyone likes to do the same things — so we have to try and find programs/activities that are widely varied, such as chair volleyball, billiards, yoga, conditioning, Tai Chi and arts and crafts.”
However, there isn’t enough space to hold all the classes on-site. Hollifield said many classes each week, including a walking group, yoga and other exercises, must be held at the community building. This issue is exacerbated by growth at the center, with a jump in scheduled events and participation.
“Another challenge that the Senior Center faces is our limited amount of parking spots at our building,” Hollifield said. “Currently, there are approximately 46 parking spots, with five of those being for county-owned vehicles. Staff are fortunate to be able and park at Resurrection Lutheran Church, which keeps as many spots for participants as possible. For congregate lunch we can seat 68 participants and there are many days we are at capacity for meals.”
The parking limit causes the venue to intentionally limit activities between 10 a.m. and lunch, and the center lost even more parking spaces due to construction of the nearby roundabout. An awkward parking lot layout also requires vehicles, especially emergency vehicles, to travel all the way around the building to reach the entrance, leading to concerns about a speedy response.
Hollifield said she is not sure if it would be possible to renovate the building in a way that would eliminate its parking and space needs.
The building’s layout leads to fewer and less accessible restrooms, which make it more difficult for some older seniors. Many stairs in the building create a risk of falls, and some seniors have not been willing to use a nearby elevator.
According to the Area Agency on Aging, Macon County is in the top five North Carolina counties for percentage of older adults – 39% of the population is older than 60. Hollifield said the next 20 years will see the state's population of adults 65 and over increase from 1.6 to 2.6 million, leading to an increase in the need for more space at the center.
“To adequately try and meet the needs of our older adults, a building and parking lot almost twice our current size should be able to accommodate the needs of our older adults that utilize our services,” she said. These services include a community resource center, adult day care, activities, the Senior health Insurance Information Program, lunch and home-delivered meals, Project Lifesaver, senior protection calls and more.
Shelby Powell can be reached at reporter@thefranklinpress.com.