With demolition complete, City officials were joined by YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region leadership, construction partners and community members in breaking the ceremonial ground to kick off construction of the new Colorado Springs Senior Center.
“We’re thrilled for this project to start making progress we can see,” said Ryan Trujillo, the City’s Deputy Chief of Staff. He noted that while delays have occurred due to abatement issues throughout the numerous buildings on the Golf Acres site, the project remains on track for an August 2025 opening.
The project leverages about $10 million dollars from the American Rescue Plan, with additional funding provided by Lyda Hill Philanthropies, the Colorado Springs Health Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program.
“We’ve been able to move through the challenges and to this groundbreaking with this vision for this new community center,” said City Councilmember Nancy Henjum. The Senior Center’s past and new location is located within Henjum’s council district, and she’s been a long-time champion of the Senior Center and the new facility.
“We look forward with great enthusiasm to the new building,” said Tom Lathrop, the YMCA’s Director of Operations. “To have everyone back together in one place is going to be fantastic. We will offer programs like, weaving, painting, yoga, pickleball along with tech classes and our various lectures and events.”
“We are honored to continue our long partnership with the city of Colorado Springs on this new senior center project,” said Boyd Williams, President and CEO for the YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region. “It’s a great example of the public and private sectors coming together for the betterment of our seniors.”
El Paso County’s senior population has grown five-fold in the past three decades, with significant growth on the horizon. Katie Sunderlin, the City’s Interim Chief Housing Officer noted that this project is poised to support a growing senior population in Colorado.
“The City prioritized making our four community centers more accessible. Through our federal grant program, we were able to support that mission—including here at the new Senior Center—to make improvements and renovations that serve specific populations in these community centers,” said Katie Sunderlin, the City’s Interim Chief Housing Officer.
The new facility replaces the former Senior Center building, which served the community for 50 years. The old facility stood at the same location before it was demolished during the past few months, along with some smaller buildings on the City-owned property, making way for construction of the new building, as well as related infrastructure like parking.
For more information on the project, visit coloradosprings.gov/SeniorCenterRenovation.