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Senior Advisory pushes for new or expanded senior facility, seeks gym-membership inclusion
Summary
The Senior Advisory Committee reported increased membership and services at the Benjamin Gaither Center, asked the council to consider adding a new senior or multigenerational facility to the capital improvement plan, and requested that fitness-center memberships be considered for inclusion in BGC membership (staff estimated a roughly $7,500 budget impact for 100 fitness members at $75 each).
Jean Dinwiddie and Senior Advisory Committee members told the council the Benjamin Gaither Center (BGC) is a thriving hub of services and urged the city to prioritize a new or expanded facility.
Dinwiddie said the center had "5546" members as of November (reported during the meeting) and described programs that include Meals on Wheels operations (BGC now serves as a hub within a roughly 3-mile radius), scholarship awards and multiple outreach events. She said the committee wants the city to consider including gym or fitness-center memberships in the BGC annual membership and provided a staff-cited estimate that 100 fitness-center members paying $75 annually would amount to a $7,500 budget impact.
The committee reiterated a long-standing request to add a new senior or multigenerational facility to the city master plan and capital improvement plan, noting that planning for a center goes back to 2006. Committee members and staff described capacity constraints — exercise classes are frequently full and special events sometimes require multiple sessions — and said adding facility capacity would expand services.
Council members and staff discussed how county funding influence changed the center’s membership structure after county contributions ended in 2009. Staff reported the center’s day-to-day operations, including recent installation of safety railings and the successful transfer of Meals on Wheels to the BGC, and acknowledged ongoing facility issues (a heating/thermostat problem in the workout area was being addressed by public works).
Committee leaders asked the council to continue funding feasibility work and to consider short-term measures such as scholarships and membership recruitment while the city determines long-term facility options.
