When Dorothy Visser passed away in late May of 2006 at the age of 103, the reality of a new senior center in San Clemente was far from its completion. Ten years in the making and countless hours spent garnering donations and support, her once distant vision, and that of many others, has now become a pending reality as the construction of the Dorothy Visser Senior Center is now fully underway.
The 8,000-square-foot senior center will share its location with a new fire station, about 7,800 square feet, along 121 Avenida Victoria, replacing their old spot at the San Clemente Library, and is slated to open sometime in January 2011.
The new fire station is also a great addition to the city, which too replaces the 47-year-old Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) station No. 60 adjacent to City Hall, and gives the community a long awaited fire station west of I-5.
However, it’s the senior center that will provide the community another key resource for one of its most important demographics–senior citizens.
“There are so many people in the city that are excited about the completion of this project,” Cathy Lee, Director of Age Well Senior Services, said. “Those same people have visualized this for so long, and once everyone saw the groundbreaking and the steel beams erected on the site, it has become a reality. Seeing is definitely believing.”
However, after breaking ground last August, and following the construction contract awarded to Gamut Construction in July 2009, the project was met with a few roadblocks. During the dig for the site over-excavation and removal to set the foundation for the building, engineers ran their equipment right into an old and rather large concrete bank vault last November which caused a delay in construction. Employees from Gamut Construction then spent a week breaking up the concrete. Then, as we’re all aware, Southern California was met with a series of severe winter storms that also halted the project. The downpours witnessed throughout much of January resulted in major flooding of the foundation work that had been finished, and the project site needed time to dry in order to pour in concrete. The result is that Gamut Construction requested a 76-day extension moving the project from its original completion date, sometime in October or November 2010, to January of next year.
“We really needed things to dry out in order to move on with this project,” City Building Official Mike Jorgensen said.
“Fortunately, we’ve had some great weather lately, the ground is once again drying out, and we’ll have poured concrete at least by the end of the week.”
In the coming weeks, most, if not all, of the foundation will be poured, followed by the building’s timber framing or skeletal work, as the project will wrap with its enclosed stuccoing, giving it the appearance of a real building. Built in the special architectural overlay district of San Clemente, the new senior center and fire station will conform to standards that emanate Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture.
When it’s all done, seniors can look forward to a wide choice of social and hobby activities, daily lunches, the Mary and Gary West Foundation Wellness Center, health and stay-well programs, a center for using and learning about computers and technology and Meals on Wheels outreach. Especially important for seniors is the computer/technology lab which will help them learn how to operate a computer and use the Internet, giving them the necessary tools at hand when seeking a part-time retail, real estate, clerical, or other non-physical-labor job. With more than double the space than the old location at the library, the new senior center will also support more people on a daily basis.
“Anyone that knows us well knows we have limited space at the San Clemente Library,” Cathy Lee said. “This new building is a great opportunity with double the space in a state-of-the-art center.”
On any given day, Lee maintains 150 people pass through the doors of the current senior center, while lunches are served to anywhere from 25 to 100 people in a community room. “Let’s really hope that those numbers double with the new senior center,” Lee said.
Dinners are also in the works as well as events seniors can anticipate to attend every quarter, while younger volunteers are always sought after to be part of several inter-generational programs that will comprise other events, too.
The total cost of the project amounts to $4.3 million for both the fire station and senior center. With the help of donors and numerous fundraisers, the senior center raised about $2.1 million, and received $1 million pledged by the city of San Clemente for real estate and construction. Funding for the project was initiated by the City of San Clemente’s purchase of the land and a $1 million contribution from the Lusk Company/Marblehead Coastal agreement. The remaining design and construction funds were raised through the efforts of the Age Well Senior Services capital campaign committee, the Mary and Gary West Foundation, the County of Orange, the Weingart Foundation, and over 200 individual and corporate donors throughout the community who have made the project possible.
South County Senior Services is continuing to raise funds at this time for the purchase of furniture, fixtures, and equipment for the center. And a special Legacy Fund has been established to guarantee its ongoing operation.
As for what will come of the vacated space at the city’s library, San Clemente’s Friends of the Library support group is pursuing a new goal this year, to help raise funds for the expansion of the 10,000-square-foot library at 242 Avenida Del Mar. The facility can add 5,000 square feet by occupying the current senior center, after the seniors move to their new facility. The library could also use lobby space that currently separates the library from the senior center. With more people frequenting the library on a daily basis in recent months, and still facing funding issues from the county, circulation is on the rise. Also trending upward is Internet usage both on desktop computers and through Wi-Fi connection at the library. The books donated to the Friends of the Library bookstore, located behind the library, offer patrons discount deals while helping raise funds to meet expenses not covered by the county.
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