A new senior citizens center has been a topic of debate in Norman, Okla., for at least a decade. A new center was promoted prominently as part of Norman Forward in 2015, a lauded quality-of-life initiative that will fund the construction and maintenance of new recreation centers, sports fields, libraries and parks in Norman.
But no money was directly tied to the new center and now, 22 months later, while dirt begins to turn on other projects, the senior center remains very much in the planning stages.
There are two competing plans. The first, which is supported by senior groups like the 21st Century Norman Seniors Association, is a stand-alone center on the northeast corner of Andrews Park. The second is to move the center into the current central library, using bond money passed in 2007 to remodel the building, and share the facility with city staff.
Norman Senior Citizens Center members Bette Maffucci and Sharon Roberts expressed several concerns about the center being moved to the renovated central library, concerns often voiced by members of the 21st Century Norman Seniors Association.
Norman voters approved bond money to renovate the library in 2007, but a companion bond measure did not pass and the bonds have yet to be issued. Concerns range from parking to the lack of a kitchen to the perceived inevitable encroachment of city offices as staff and storage space needs increase.
"Whoever came up with the idea of putting the senior center in the modified library, if you look across the country, you're not going to find a recreational facility in with other governmental offices," Roberts said.
The current Norman Senior Citizens Center is housed in a two-story building at the corner of South Peters Avenue and East Symmes Street. It's clear to many members, including Maffucci and Roberts, that Norman seniors need a more accessible building specifically designed to meet their needs.
Parking is an issue at the current center, they said. A lot in the back and a few spaces on the side provide the only parking, and some members park at city lots blocks away to visit the center. A single elevator provides access to the second floor and the basement. Members said it occasionally gets stuck.
Space is another concern. The top floor has the two largest rooms, side by side, which are used for exercise and line dancing classes, as well as the daily card and domino games.
On the first floor is a kitchen and dining room, a congregate meal site for Aging Services, which provides meals for seniors throughout the community and lunch at the center. Some members, like Roberts, hope it follows the center to a new location.
The basement was recently remodeled, Maffucci said, and has a room for a writer's group, as well as a ceramics program with a workroom and two storage rooms, one which includes three kilns for firing ceramics. The rooms are connected by a maze of narrow hallways.
Membership costs $30 per year, or 50 cents per day, although there isn't structured system to check in or a membership card. There is no information center, and almost no other area nonprofits or organizations have a presence in the building.
Roberts has worked in city government in California and has been a member of senior citizens centers in California and Arkansas. A widow, she recently moved to Norman and was looking to make friends and find active programs to fill her day. The size of the center and the number of activities offered surprised her.
Roberts recently reviewed a schedule for the Edmond senior center, which featured 10 exercise classes. Norman's center offers a handful of exercise classes, the ceramics class, card games and dominos. The Morning Star Center for Spiritual Living meets on Sundays at the center.
"You really only have these two rooms for an activity," she said. "For me, you can have a crummy building and still have a lot of programs. We don't have enough here. Norman has a lot going for it: just the few things I've seen, lots of art, talented people, parks, a wonderful art museum. So why wouldn't you have a quality center?"
Maffucci pointed out it's not just seniors who have been dealing with poor facilities, and she added the seniors don't want to take away from other Norman Forward projects.
"We're not the only ones. Those kids shouldn't have been in the hangar all those years," she said. "The people in Pisces have been begging for 20 years for a swimming pool. There's been a real personality problem. We call ourselves unique, but we've been real stingy."
As the Baby Boomer generation settles into retirement, Gen X-ers begin to join them, and modern medical advances empower people to live longer, quality of life is a concern for seniors.
"Many people here are widowed," Maffucci said. "You want to get with people your age and do the kinds of things they do. A good senior center is one of the attractions to a community. The population is aging, and if you want to encourage people to retire here and bring their money here, you need a good center."
All eight members of the Norman City Council have publicly expressed support for a stand-alone senior center, so Maffucci believes it's only a matter of time before the council moves forward with the project. She is hoping the city establishes a senior center advisory group during the project's planning stages.
Roberts has suggested polling Norman senior citizens to get a better sense of what they want.
