Bargersville Senior Center safe, but change could be coming

The Bargersville Senior Citizen Center could soon transition to serve the whole community.

People recently took to social media to share concerns that Bargersville town officials were out to close the senior center, located at 14 W. Old South St. Town officials say they aren’t trying to get rid of the senior center, but are planning to preserve the amenity and open it up a larger swath of the town’s population.

The Bargersville Parks and Recreation Board is expected to vote on a measure to rename the building Bargersville Community Center during its next meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 13. If the board approves the measure, the town’s parks department will take over management of events held at the center, said Dan Cartwright, town manager. The parks department would continue the senior center’s popular senior dinners along with adding events for people of all ages, he said.

The town owns the building and has leased it to the senior center for years.

Albert Lynn, senior center president, initially had concerns the center was on the path to being shut down because town officials told him he can no longer rent out the building for events such as reunions, baby showers and seminars. Lynn said he was told those events would create a liability risk, but was worried without the money from renting out the space, he wouldn’t be able to pay for the building’s liability insurance and the cost of utilities to keep it open.

With the park board’s approval, however, the parks department will pay both those costs, Cartwright said.

“The parks department will have it open to other groups and individuals to use. It will truly be a community center,” Cartwright said.

The senior center first opened in 1979. It serves military veterans and seniors ranging from 55 to 96 years old and the building is the only designated gathering place for older residents in Bargersville. About 40 to 45 people typically gather for the center’s senior dinners, which take place every Thursday and the first Monday of each month, Lynn said.

“We have dinners, we have a small rock band with an older generation and they enjoy that. They play cards and they have good meals,” he said. “It’s a great get together for all involved. They love it and I’d hate to see it gotten rid of. We have people coming from Franklin, Martinsville and Bargersville, they love that place.”

If the parks department takes control of the building, seniors won’t have to worry about their favorite gathering spot closing down, Cartwright said. An agreement to keep the center open will be significant for the veterans and senior citizens who come by every Thursday, Lynn said.

“It means a lot. Bargersville is a small town and a lot of people love this place,” he said. “They love the senior center and the community itself.”

The all ages event calendar for the center won’t be finalized until after the town’s first parks director begins their role in January. Town officials won’t be promoting the building for any users beyond seniors until February, Cartwright said in an email.

A new parks director has been selected but town officials aren’t ready to announce the hire yet, as the director needs to give notice to their current employer.