The approaching summer made its presence felt Friday morning for the official opening of Senior Center East. Umbrellas appeared here and there among the 150 or so people who attended.
Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin and other officials cut the ribbon for the 15,360-square-foot building — which has 2,850 square feet of additional covered patio space — in a ceremony that began at 11 a.m. The center is located at 917 Washington Dr., off Murchison Road, near Fayetteville State University.
After the hoopla, guests did not stand on ceremony but immediately filed into the air-conditioned inside where there was plenty of light; a pool; exercise equipment; racquetball courts and a billiards room; an outdoor lounge area; and a slate of programming geared toward city and county residents who are 55 or older. Guests walking in were handed sheets with the center's programs, and a calendar.
More: Pitts: Fayetteville opens senior center with lake view; tennis complex in future
“I think it’s absolutely beautiful — and it’s so needed for us,” said Vivian Thomas, who I encountered just outside the pool entrance. She lives a couple of miles away and was checking out the center on Friday with friends.
“The openness of it. It’s airy, the lighting, everything. I look forward to coming.”
Colvin in remarks beforehand thanked the city’s seniors.
“Our seniors are the heart and the soul of our community,” he said. “They have dedicated their lives to building our city, to nurturing and raising our families and to contributing in so many ways to the outcomes of what we see today.
“Senior Center East is one example of our commitment to ensuring that our seniors have fulfilling and active lives.”
Parks bond a gift to ourselves
The facility is the second senior center built as part of the 2016 voter-approved parks & recreation bond. The Bill Crisp Senior Center in west Cumberland County opened near Lake Rim in October of 2022.
I refer to the $35 million bond as the greatest gift city voters ever gave to themselves, because of the projects it has built or inspired. They include the senior centers; a skate park; various improvements in smaller parks; and more pools, which were not bond-funded but were made possible in part because the bond was there to fund other parks priorities and maintenance.
City Councilwoman Kathy Jensen, who chairs the parks bond committee, said she was “here at the beginning of the parks and rec bond.” She said Colvin and former state Sen. Kirk deViere, who was in attendance Friday, were the only two others serving on council back then. She recalled the vote taking place around 12:30 p.m. during a lengthy council meeting.
“Thank you for pushing me to realize that we needed bigger and better in Fayetteville,” she said.
Jensen said she was “a little bit emotional” as she talked about opening the Bill Crisp Center; she said a senior center had been a dream of the late council member. “And if you have not been to it, I suggest that you go to because we bought it over here to the east side of town.”
The Tokay Senior Fitness Center is still available as well, she said.
Improving quality of life
There are still a few big-ticket projects remaining under the parks bond, including the tennis center under construction on Filter Plant Drive; and a sports complex in the planning stages that is slated for McArthur Road in north Fayetteville and would be a partnership with Fort Liberty.
A Cape Fear River Park meanwhile is searching for funding and is a reminder the bond money has basically run out or is spoken-for, thanks to projects completed; the passage of time; a pandemic; and skyrocketing construction costs. Senior Center East, for example, was originally budgeted at $5 million but eventually came in at $9.2 million.
But it was never just about the money.
The parks bonds passed in March of 2016, after a marketing push and three failed prior attempts over many years. Voters passed it despite it carrying a tax increase.
More: How the city of Fayetteville plans to move forward with its $20 million sports complex
More: Pitts: Fayetteville parks projects: Some to open soon, others still searching for money
What was always needed was a commitment to improving quality of life, and the council — and then voters — did that. I think it has imbued a spirit among our city and county leaders that remains — and it is that spirit that led the city to pursue minor league baseball, what became the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. I think the same spirit is driving Cumberland County commissioners to build a new events center.
Fayetteville City Councilman Malik Davis of District 2 said at Friday’s ribbon-cutting that Senior Center East offers convenience and friendly faces.
“I really hope this facility will serve as a backdrop for new friendships and activities, classes and opportunities for our community.”
I hope for same.
Opinion Editor Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3359.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville’s new Senior Center East part of a gift to ourselves that keeps on giving
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