Groundbreaking for center signals new beginning for Silver Springs seniors

SILVER SPRINGS - A $2.17 million senior center got started Thursday with the turn of some dirt as Lyon County commissioners and center officials participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new building.

The new Silver Springs Senior Center will be built next to the current senior center on the corner of Fort Churchill and Pyramid roads in Silver Springs.

Joe Clarkson, chairman of the Silver Springs Senior Citizen's Advisory Council, said the road to get to this point was a long one.

"I was hoping we would get this, but you never know," he said. "It's just something we've all been looking forward to. It's a new beginning for us."

Most of the old center will be demolished, except for a 2,000-square-foot newer section that will be used as a thrift shop in conjunction with the new center.

The new center will be 10,000 square feet and have a 1,900-square-foot commercial kitchen, dining and activity rooms, a library and computer room, a billiard room and offices. About 70 seniors are served each day.

There will also be a large meeting room that can be divided and two smaller meeting rooms. Architect Casey Jones said a gift shop will also be part of the new building and said completion would take about seven months.

County Manager Donna Kristaponis hosted the Thursday event that drew more than 100 seniors. She said the building would be used not only as a senior center but a community center, with space for meetings and other events.

The old center was built in 1984 and has had structural and geological problems, Kristaponis said.

The county was granted $250,000 to help pay for the new center, but dramatic growth in the region spurred costs for materials to an all-time high, Kristaponis said.

"What has happened is how much materials and labor have gone up in the last three years," she said. "When we first proposed this, we planned to spend $1.4 million."

Though Commission Chairman Bob Milz admitted the $2.17 million price tag "shocked" the board, he added: "This was priority number one. I can't think of a better place to spend the money."

Commissioner Chet Hillyard, who pushed for years for the new senior center, offered a toast to volunteers who did the necessary work, as well as the senior citizens who will pass through the new center's doors.

Silver Springs resident Darlene Geurtz, who said she was one of the original volunteers to get a senior center started in the town, was excited about the new building.

"I think it's going to be great," she said. "I'm the first one who started the senior center and everyone said it would never take off, it would never fly. This does my heart good."

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.