Senior center flood - where is the lunch crowd going?

Has anybody heard anything new about the senior center? I saw the notice about the water heater going bad and flooding the building, here's the story if you missed it. Glad nobody got hurt, but that was almost two weeks ago now and I still can't find a word on when it opens back up.

My neighbor out here in Edgemont goes for the lunches and bingo a few days a week and she's just sitting at home now. Doesn't drive much after dark either so she can't just go somewhere else. Is anybody meeting somewhere in the meantime? A church fellowship hall maybe?? Or does the city have a plan and just hasn't put it out there.

If it's a case of needing volunteers to haul stuff or move things around I'd help, just don't know who to call. Anybody know?

I haven't heard anything either, Connie. Last I knew it was still closed with no date. Churches around here have decent-sized fellowship halls that sit empty most weekdays, so I'd think somebody could host a lunch for a few weeks. I'm going to bring it up at our church this Wednesday and see if anybody wants to take it on. Bingo would be easy enough to move, since all it takes is tables, chairs and somebody with the cards.

For the volunteer question, I'd call City Hall and ask who's handling the senior center. They'd know if the cleanup and drying out needs hands, or if it's all being done by contractors and insurance. If you find out, post it here so the rest of us can pass it along.

It might also help your neighbor to know a couple of folks from Edgemont who already go. Maybe somebody could carpool her if a new spot gets set up.

- Dennis

Good idea, Dennis. I'd plan on this being more than a couple weeks. I'm in real estate, and after a water heater flood the water getting pumped out is just step one. Wet drywall and insulation usually have to come out, everything has to dry, and they test for mold before anybody can go back in. Add an insurance adjuster and contractor schedules and it can run a couple months. So a temporary spot is worth setting up now instead of waiting on a reopening date.

If a church hall works for the bingo crowd, a lunch might be easier with a restaurant that has a back room and is slow midweek. Some places would probably do a set plate for a group if somebody asked nicely.

Connie, I'd also call City Hall like Dennis said. They may be able to tell you if there's a list of seniors they're trying to reach.

Connie, it's good of you to look out for your neighbor. That's the part that worries me too. For a lot of those folks the lunch is almost secondary. It's the one place they get out of the house and see another face a few days a week, and sitting home for two months is a long stretch at that age.

I agree with Blake that this won't be quick. We had a supply line burst in our utility room years back, one room, and it was a good six weeks before everything was dry enough to close the walls up. A whole public building with inspections and an adjuster is going to take a lot longer than that.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that the bingo cards, the caller's equipment and whatever else the regulars use are probably still locked up inside. If Dennis's church or anyone else sets up a temporary spot, it's worth asking City Hall whether someone can go in and bring the supplies out. Otherwise a few new sets of cards don't cost much, and I'd chip in on that.

I don't drive after dark either anymore, but midday is no trouble. If a hall gets lined up I'm glad to pick up a couple of people who are short a ride. Somebody might also start a simple phone list of the regulars so nobody gets forgotten while it's all up in the air.

Dennis, thanks for taking it to your church Wednesday 👍 Sounds like that's the most realistic path while the city sorts out the building. And Blake's right, nobody should count on this being a couple weeks.

If a fellowship hall does come together, count me in for the entertainment side. I know a handful of pickers around Sugar Loaf and Heber who'd play an hour of old country and gospel for a lunch crowd, no charge. They love an audience that actually listens, and nobody listens better than a room full of folks who grew up on that stuff 🎶 Bingo's great, but a little music might make it feel like their lunch is still theirs even in a different room. I can ask around, but I don't want to promise anything until there's an actual place and a day.

I also have more fall greens and kale coming in than my wife and I can eat, so if somebody ends up cooking, I'll happily drop off a few bags. Ronald, put me on that phone list too. I'm free midday most weeks and can haul people or chairs, whichever's needed.

Connie, if you hear anything from City Hall please post it. I'd like to know too.