Senior center construction underway

A ‘dream come true’ for city’s elderly



DIGGING IN—From left, City Councilmembers David Shapiro, Mary Sue Maurer, Mayor Lucy Martin, James Bozajian and Fred Gaines break ground on the new 9,500-square-foot Calabasas Senior Center.

DIGGING IN—From left, City Councilmembers David Shapiro, Mary Sue Maurer, Mayor Lucy Martin, James Bozajian and Fred Gaines break ground on the new 9,500-square-foot Calabasas Senior Center.

The City of Calabasas says welcome to the golden years.

More than 100 people, many of them elderly, gathered at the Civic Center Tuesday to take part in a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 9,500-squarefoot senior center.

Construction for the two-story recreational facility behind the library and city hall will begin July 20, and should be completed in about a year.

“I’m so excited, it’s a dream come true,” said Carol Davis, a founding member of Savvy Seniors, a city group that advocates on behalf of the elderly.

“We’re here today because of the vision, collaboration, the dedication and the volunteerism of so many. This project is because of each and all of you,” said Jeff Rubin, community services director for Calabasas, told the Savvy Seniors and others.

“It takes a village to build a senior center. This is truly a historic occasion for our city,” said Lucy Martin, Calabasas mayor.

Martin thanked the council, city employees and concerned residents who advocated and contributed their time to make the senior center a reality, especially fellow Councilmembers Mary Sue Maurer and David Shapiro and members of the Savvy Seniors task force.

After the task force was established, potential sites for the project were discussed and a design was created.

The city will pay for the facility with cash reserves and will not incur debt, the mayor said

“This is the kind of project that I love because it began with the residents. A group of seniors, who has since become Savvy Seniors, got busy, they went to the council and city, and the city listened and responded,” Martin said.

The building will include activity and multipurpose rooms, a kitchen, a sports and game room, and an outside deck.

The senior center project proves how the City of Calabasas is committed to making sure residents of all ages have a place to gather and belong, Martin said.

The city will continue to work with an advisory board to develop classes, activities and resources that support, enhance and encourage an active healthy lifestyle for all local seniors.

“We Savvy Seniors have been working on it so long. It’s just the culmination of something terrific,” said Dody Tichenor, who has lived in Calabasas for 40 years.

Tichenor said the new building and the senior programs offered by the city will help enrich her life.

The June 30th event was the fourth ground-breaking ceremony in Calabasas in the past two months.

The city also began construction on the new Lost Hills freeway interchange and two road improvement projects on Las Virgenes Road and Mulholland Highway.


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