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Iowa City Senior Center staff outline $5 million interior renovation, $500,000 fundraiser and fall 2027 construction target
Summary
At the June 18 meeting, staff described plans for about $5 million in interior work at the Iowa City Senior Center, including a teaching-kitchen redesign, accessibility upgrades and a proposed $500,000 fundraising campaign, with construction hoped to start in fall 2027.
At its June 18 meeting, the Iowa City Senior Center Commission heard staff outline plans for roughly $5,000,000 in interior renovations to improve accessibility and programming space, including a redesign of the room next to the assembly room into a teaching kitchen, staff said.
Emily Griffin, a staff member at the Iowa City Senior Center, told commissioners the former commercial kitchen — once used by Meals on Wheels and later cleared for renovation — is being evaluated as a teaching kitchen and storage area consistent with the center’s 2020 master plan. "We have about $5,000,000 to do a really great job here on the interior," Griffin said, adding that the center will still be short of the total cost and plans to launch a major fundraiser with a target of roughly $500,000, possibly in the fall of 2027.
Griffin said staff will begin a search for a design team in the coming months to develop interior plans, with accessibility as a priority: "A lot of it is preparing the building, making sure it's ADA and accessible as much as possible for seniors," she said. She added that the center hopes to start construction in fall 2027 if fundraising and planning proceed on schedule.
Other facility upgrades Griffin described at the meeting include finishing work on HVAC systems to stabilize indoor temperatures, installation of track lighting on the third floor to improve display of member artwork, upgraded assembly-room sound equipment (two new speakers, floor monitors and a new digital sound-control panel), and purchase of a new projector supported by Friends of the Senior Center.
Griffin said staff will coordinate with horticultural partners for exterior landscaping proposals and present recommendations to the Parks and Recreation department for spring planting. She urged commissioners and community members to be prepared for outreach related to fundraising and design decisions once the design team is selected.
The commission did not take a formal vote on renovation contracts at the June 18 meeting; Griffin described planning steps and a fundraising goal and said staff will return with more specific proposals as design work proceeds.
