After delays, senior center progress finally close at hand

The wheels are in motion for a new Macon-Bibb County Senior Center, but it will probably take another source of funding for completion of the project.

A new center has been in the sights of seniors and officials since funding was approved as part of the 2012 special purpose sales tax initiative. But now, five years later, after several proposed locations, officials say they’re closer than ever to building the new center.

The Central City Park project is expected to go out for bids soon, which would then give Macon-Bibb officials a more precise cost. In September 2016, officials and seniors were presented three designs, with costs ranging from $2.7 million to $3.5 million.

There is $2.3 million remaining for the project, which includes $1.6 million in SPLOST funding and another $700,000 from the sale of the current Adams Street center near Mercer University.

There is not enough money now budgeted to incorporate all of the features that seniors have asked for, which is similar to other recreation type projects, Macon-Bibb County spokesman Chris Floore said in an email.

Some of those designs could be added in the future through the next round of proposed special purpose sales tax projects.

“Once we have the bids in, the review should happen within a few days and then be sent to the attorney’s office to be prepared for (commission) committee recommendation,” Floore said.

County Commissioner Elaine Lucas, a member of a senior center committee, said the county is making headway on the project. Seniors have waited too long for the center to be built, she said.

“We are getting to a place now ... where we can say this is the direction we can go in, but I think the input of the (Macon-Bibb County) Industrial Authority and Cliffard Whitby will make a big difference in restoring the confidence with us,” Lucas said. “We’ve lost some credibility by switching around talking about the animal shelter and other things when we have not finished other projects. The senior center has to be a priority. It’s my priority now, and it’s a priority with many of the commissioners I’m in contact with.”

Whitby, chairman of the Industrial Authority, said the authority may be able provide some help with the project at the commission’s request. That could mean using the authority’s expertise or perhaps finding additional resources.

“We could come in and take over getting the actual building constructed, whatever is needed, whatever the gap is,” Whitby said.

Long time coming

Some seniors have been critical about the process, including having the scope of the building downsized and the fact that the center is one of the major, final 2012 SPLOST projects to be built.

Some of the delay happened while Macon-Bibb scouted multiple sites, each of which was rejected by a contingent of seniors before they agreed on Central City Park. During that time about $400,000 of SPLOST money was spent on the project, including design costs.

In October 2015, there was discussion of having the new center ready to open in Central City Park in early 2017.

Commissioner Scotty Shepherd said the getting the center built as quickly as possible for the county is important. But, if the center been a part of the renovated Bloomfield-Gilead complex, seniors would have already had a new place to use.

“Looking back now, knowing what I know now, I would have gone ahead and pushed the Bloomfield project,” Shepherd said. “They would not only be there, but it would be a year old.”

The Central City Park building could receive an infusion of funding from a grant. The Middle Georgia Regional Commission is working on a grant application that, if awarded, for the project would cover up to a third of construction costs, said Julie Hall, director of Area Agency on Aging for the commission.

The County Commission has also designated additional money for the center in the 2018 SPLOST, although the scope of work and the amount of money would need further approval from officials.

The layout of the site will allow for a future expansion of the building if needed.

“We’re working diligently to pull all this together,” Lucas said. “It hasn’t been as fast as what wanted to, but that’s why we started up an ad hoc (senior center) committee. We want to fulfill our obligation for the senior citizens.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 6:01 PM with the headline "After delays, senior center progress finally close at hand."