The facility at 225 Benson Street first opened its doors in 1994 and is a gathering place for adults 60 and older to enjoy activities like exercise, arts and crafts, games, speakers, entertainment, day trips and hot lunches.
The improvements, designed for individuals with low vision, hearing impairments and mobility challenges, include upgraded ADA-accessible restrooms, an enlarged dining area, a more accessible food service line, an upgraded billiards room, a new card room area, a new hearing loop system for the hearing impaired, and a new multi-use room. The existing patio will be enclosed to become a fitness room and a new entry vestibule will be added.
Multiplex LLC was the lowest of four bidders for the construction contract. Nearly 80 percent of the work is funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, 11 percent by Gwinnett’s 2014 SPLOST program, and about 9 percent by the Atlanta Regional Commission. A $250,000 Community Development Block Grant is expected to pay for expanding the dining room, retrofitting the kitchen area and creating more small-group meeting places.
The center will close for renovation on Aug. 3. Activities will temporarily relocate to Pleasant Hill Baptist Church at 797 Moon Road in Lawrenceville and then move again in late September to the Rhodes Jordan Park Community Recreation Center until work on the center is complete. Current programs and services, like congregate meals, activities and transportation, will experience minimal disruptions during the relocation.
Gwinnett County runs other senior activity centers in Buford, Norcross and Centerville. There are no membership fees to attend the centers, but some classes and trips have small costs. Limited transportation is available. For more information, call (678) 277-0970.
