Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Fran Sherrill, executive director of the Yelm Senior Multipurpose Center, is looking forward to completion of a new center that will increase the center's available space, allowing for more programs and the ability to serve more elderly clients.

Senior center in Yelm moves closer to reality

Grant will mean expansion of services to elderly

RUTH LONGORIA THE OLYMPIAN

YELM -- A $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development means the new 12,600-square-foot senior citizen center is a giant step closer to being built.

The Yelm grant is part of $7 million in community block grants announced last week by the state of Washington's Office of Community Development.

"We're really excited about the grant; I've been walking on a cloud since I found out," said Fran Sherrill, executive director of the Yelm Senior Multipurpose Center.

The senior center is currently housed in a 79-year-old, 3,000-square-foot facility on Yelm Avenue.

The age of the building and inadequate usable space and parking led center administrators to begin planning for a larger facility.

In January 2001, the senior center purchased a 41/2-acre parcel -- including 2 acres of wetlands -- on 103rd Avenue, near Creek Street, on Yelm's east side.

The new center is expected to cost about $1.9 million and will be built in stages, Sherrill said.

"This grant will take us a big step forward, but there's still a ways to go," she said.

There isn't a timeline on the project yet, said Shelly Badger, Yelm's city administrator.

The city applied for the grant in November and received the maximum grant amount, she said.

"We're very excited to be acting as the lead agency on the new senior center," Badger said.

The city will monitor the project and assist in meeting necessary requirements.

"But it's still the senior center's project," she said.

Working together

The community has been working together to raise money for the new center.

About $15,000 was raised through activities such as selling a side of beef and spaghetti dinners at the Yelm Eagles Lodge.

The senior center is important to the city, Badger said.

There are many older residents in Yelm and that number continues to grow as the city's population increases, she said.

"People realize that Yelm is a nice place to retire," Badger said. "Having the senior center in Yelm is important because they provide such awesome services."

The center provides between 80 and 100 lunches daily to seniors, including about 65 at the center and meals delivered through its meals on wheels program.

When the new center is built, a larger kitchen and eating space will allow those numbers to increase to 150 or more, Sherrill said.

The new facility also will have space for arts and crafts activities, games, a senior day care program and a water aerobics program in the proposed exercise pool.

Existing programs also will be expanded, such as shopping trips, computer, reading and writing programs, foot care, hair care, eye and ear testing, instructional talks about property taxes, Medicare, insurance and other senior-related concerns.

"The new building will allow us to continue our existing programs and add so much more," Sherrill said.

In addition to Yelm's grant, two $500,000 community block grants were awarded in South Sound. One grant was awarded to Thurston County to rehabilitate 25 to 30 substandard and deteriorated housing units in unincorporated areas of the county.

Grays Harbor County also received a grant to establish a program to provide financial counseling services and rehabilitate about 45 houses in that county.

Congressman Adam Smith, D-Tacoma, wrote a letter of support to HUD for the Yelm grant proposal.

"Seniors are one of our country's greatest resources and we need to make sure that we are providing them with quality care," Smith wrote. "With this money, Yelm will be able to enhance and expand their delivery of critical services."

Ruth Longoria covers Yelm for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-754-5435 or on the Internet at rlongori@olympia.gannett.com.

At a glance

For more information about the Yelm Senior Multipurpose Center, call 360-458-7733.

For more Communities stories go to the Communities section.

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