Waco officials plan to relocate Sewell Ross senior programs after safety review; community seeks more time

Mayor Jim Holmes and city staff said the city will relocate programming from the Sewell Ross Senior Center after a facilities review identified structural and safety concerns at the decades-old building.

City staff emphasized the move is intended to keep senior programming active and safe while the city evaluates the future of the Sewell Ross building.

Jonathan Cook, a city staff member who presented the update at the April 15 work session, said the city’s analysis looked at program needs, facility condition and alternatives. "Today, we are going to review some of that senior programming and facilities and really dive in to the relocation that was recommended of programs from the Sewell Center," Cook said. He told council that the building is a roughly 15,000-square-foot former church, built in 1951, and that parts of the structure and the wooden dance floor are showing deterioration.

The proposal moves programs now based at Sewell Ross into several nearby facilities to avoid service interruption. The city identified the Dewey Community Center (under a mile away) as the primary relocation site for Meals on Wheels programming; the Lion’s Den (adjacent to the Harrison Center) as the planned home for the weekly Boot Scootin’ dance club; and the Cameron Park Clubhouse, South Waco gym, Doris Miller Community Center and other community centers as additional landing sites for bridge clubs, arts groups and ballroom dancers. Cook said planners prioritized accessibility, storage needs and continuity of schedules when matching groups to new sites.

Sewell Ross user groups and regular attendees told council the building is a longtime social hub. Sylvia Carrizales, a resident who addressed council during public comment, said, "We are very sad to hear about the possibility of the closing of Saul Ross Senior Center," and described the center as a place for friendship and weekly activities. Linda Gomez, who described decades of dancing and local programming there, said the Boot Scootin' Dance Club has met at the site since 1978 and that attendance typically ranges "anywhere from a 20 to a 69 or more" with one recent night at 204 people. Louann Henderson, representing Meals on Wheels participants, thanked the city for locating a new home and invited council to visit the Dewey Center.

Several council members and the deputy city manager praised staff for detailed planning and outreach. Council members said they preferred relocation over suspension of services, citing the risks that programs will not recover if they stop. Cook said staff have inventoried and begun transferring equipment and storage, are coordinating custodial and staffing coverage, and aim to implement the transition by the end of the month. He said staff were aware of a May 1 deadline associated with moving activities and would try to smooth the transition; dance-club leaders asked for an extension to allow a final event before moving.

Cook listed key program moves and operational details: Meals on Wheels groups that meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays will move activity space to Dewey Community Center and will continue to operate at the Harrison Center as well; bridge clubs that meet multiple days per week will be accommodated with shared storage and scheduled lunch-to-afternoon transitions; the Lion’s Den has a permanent stage and the power and floor space needed for live bands and large dances; and the Cameron Park Clubhouse offers scenic space for smaller art groups. Staff said most relocation sites are within three miles of Sewell Ross.

City officials said the relocation is an interim step while the city assesses the longer-term future of the Sewell Ross Senior Center building and options to provide a high level of senior programming across community centers. Officials did not announce a final decision on the building’s status at this meeting.

Community members and staff agreed to continue working on schedules, equipment moves and outreach. Council and staff also signaled flexibility on the May 1 timeline for at least one user group; Mayor Holmes asked that the council and community plan to support a clean transition and encouraged public feedback.

The city’s next actions will be to complete the physical moves, finalize schedules at the new sites and continue facilities assessment for Sewell Ross. Staff said they would follow up with user groups individually to confirm storage, staffing and daily schedules.

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