Submitted by
Ed Haglund
The Sister Kennedy Centre, soon to be known as the Fort Frances Seniors Centre, held its monthly board meeting on Dec. 11.
The board has come to the conclusion that more room is needed–the coffee crowd talk is too loud!
The yoga and Tai Chi groups, when in session, push the coffee crowd tables against the kitchen, which constricts clear access to the pool room.
The billiards crowd, meanwhile, wants another table or two while a group would like to start a seniors’ sewing and crafts club.
As well, someone has said they would be willing to come into the centre once or twice a week to help seniors understand government documents.
Then there’s the possibility of a photo club, senior choir, ukulele orchestra, line-dancing, etc.
At the present time, monthly visits to our centre are made by health professionals, group meetings, birthdays, suppers, a noon lunch, and memorials.
And then there’s cards, which currently takes up about 70 percent of the time and space.
The centre’s board has in the works a plan of extension on the south end of the present building (the same width times 20 or 30 feet south).
The first problem with this plan is more use requires more parking.
The second problem is, will this addition be adequate in five or 10 years’ time when the big senior boom happens?
Near the end of the Dec. 11 meeting, someone said there were going to be school closures in Fort Frances and the board should be aware of future possibilities.
I know the town and its officials are aware of what happens when a school becomes redundant, but I felt I should get a little information on what happens to other schools in Ontario.
The report I found through Google was “One Year Progress Update on Community Hubs in Ontario, A Strategic Framework and Action Plan” (last updated in August, 2017).
It seems the provincial government would be quite warm to working with local government and groups in expanding present and future seniors’ hubs.
If you have ideas, write them down and bring them to the seniors’ centre or pass them on to a board member.
