Iowa City Senior Center asking for community input on master plan

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City Senior Center wants community input on what improvements and renovations to prioritize, as well as if the current location is the best for seniors.

The Senior Center will be asking for feedback through a short survey and community input sessions in November and December as part of the center’s master planning.

The Senior Center master plan has been in the works since December 2019, and an initial draft was presented earlier this year to the Iowa City Council. The Senior Center, a division within the City of Iowa City, has been serving older adults for decades.

The city owns the historic building on South Linn Street and will be renovating the exterior for the first time in 41 years. But before money is spent on interior renovations, the city wants to find out if the current location is the best for programming, or if there are other locations that would better meet the needs of seniors.

LaTasha DeLoach, Senior Center coordinator, previously told The Gazette the master plan is a “community changing opportunity.”

Membership is open to all adults age 50 and older, regardless of where they live. The center offers classes, activities and volunteer opportunities, as well as space for rent.

Last month, the Iowa City Senior Center — previously known as The Center — announced its rebranded name and logo.

Public input sessions

There will be five scheduled input sessions throughout November and December. The first three are in person, and the last two will be held over Zoom. Each session is scheduled for an hour and a half, except for the last session on Dec. 11, which is expected to last an hour.

For the two Zoom sessions, individuals can sign up at tinyurl.com/icsc-input to receive the link. The sign up for the input sessions is under “ICSC Meeting.”

Online survey

The online survey asks for input from individuals age 40 and older.

The online survey asks respondents about what amenities are important to them, transportation getting to the Senior Center and other feedback.

There are also questions specifically about the location, including whether the center should stay at the current location or move.

The online survey can be found by going to the Senior Center’s website.

Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com