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Senior Citizens Center finds new location, plans return

T-R PHOTOS BY TREVOR BABCOCK — Director of the Senior Citizen Center April Long poses in front of her organization’s new location at 207 E Church St., formerly occupied by Divine Designs Salon Spa.

A recreational center for seniors is making a comeback, but a series of unfortunate events led the nonprofit organization to their new location.

Between the COVID-19 pandemic and a natural disaster, the Marshalltown Senior Citizens Center has been closed for more than 14 months. Director of the Senior Citizens Center April Long said the last two years have been incredibly difficult for the center, which runs on donations to stay afloat.

However, Long is planning to reopen the center by the end of August at 207 E. Church St., the space formerly occupied by Divine Designs Salon Spa.

The new location is absolutely perfect, Long said, with adequate space for activities, is close to downtown where there is a lot of senior housing and is on a busy street making for high visibility. Separate rooms will be available for card games, quilting and will have a boutique set up for members to sell their crafts with profits going to the Senior Citizens Center.

“It’s always been important for the seniors in the community to have a place where they can feel comfortable and feel at home and feel safe and interact with others of their generation,” Long said. “Since the pandemic has closed us down and isolated many people, the center is even more vital because people really need that connection with other people. So we’re very anxious to reopen.”

The main room of the Senior Citizen Center’s new location, which will be remodeled with the center wall to be removed.

While the pandemic has made most people realize how much they miss social interaction, she said, seniors felt the effects harder as many are widowed or their family members live far away. She has received regular calls, emails and visits to her home from active members inquiring when the center will reopen.

“So the people that they interact with here at the center, and some of them come every single day, those people are their family,” Long said.

The 2018 tornado damaged the building the Senior Citizens Center used for more than 40 years, forcing them into a temporary location at Nicholas Center.

Long said they were then approached by the Fisher Community Center to relocate there, but more disruption came with the 2020 derecho damaging the new location.

After the Senior Citizens Center moved their possessions into storage in November, they were informed in December their lease with Fisher Community Center would not be renewed.

Long said she believed the relationship would be long-term, and did not know why at that time the lease was not renewed.

Since becoming the director of the Senior Citizens Center in 2019, Long has worked to get the word out into the community and make the environment more inclusive.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think as many are aware of the center or know what we do as we need to,” she said.

Being an adult recreational center focused on providing a space for those ages 55 and older to socialize and have peer interaction, the center is still open to anyone of any age. Active members come nearly everyday to play cards and shuffleboard, listen to regular scheduled guest speakers and live music, partake in public dances and quilt.

Long thinks one of the reasons holding people back from visiting the center is a negative connotation with the word “senior.”

“It’s just a matter of trying to change that perception that ‘senior’ is not one foot in the grave, it’s a vital adult really is all it is,” she said. “People think when you’re a senior, that you’re no longer active and capable, that they just sit around in their rocking chairs and play bingo. Well, today’s seniors are anything but that. I mean people are active and they’re healthier much longer, and they want to be engaged in the community and they want their minds engaged.”

Before the Senior Citizens Center can reopen, the main project to be completed is the addition of a second bathroom. The main room also needs to be remodeled to knock down the parting wall in the center of the room, and cap off some plumbing and electrical used for the spa previously occupying the space. Long also wants to repaint the space and spruce it up to make the area more welcoming.

“There are so many people in the community that need a place like the senior center, that it makes everything worthwhile,” Long said.

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or

tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.

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