116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa City Senior Center will remain downtown
Survey shows 73% of respondents support staying at S. Linn Street location
Singers perform during a Lyrics Alive all-request singing group session at the Iowa City Senior Center in Iowa City, Iowa, on Thursday, May 18, 2023. The majority of respondents to a public input process indicated they want the senior center to remain in downtown Iowa City, in its current location. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Singers perform in the assembly room during a Lyrics Alive all-request singing group session as card players compete at the Iowa City Senior Center in Iowa City, Iowa, on Thursday, May 18, 2023. The majority of respondents to a public input process indicated they want the senior center to remain in downtown Iowa City, in its current location. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Participants in a line dancing class dance at the Iowa City Senior Center in Iowa City, Iowa on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Sheri Piper leads a line dancing class at the Iowa City Senior Center in Iowa City, Iowa on Tuesday, July 12, 2022. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
IOWA CITY — The Senior Center will stay at its downtown Iowa City location — unless the City Council overrules a survey’s finding — as staff continues to work toward renovations under the center’s facility master plan.
After collecting nearly 1,000 responses, a public input survey showed 73 percent of respondents support keeping the Iowa City Senior Center at its current location, 28 S. Linn St.
The Senior Center asked for feedback last year through a short survey and community input sessions on what improvements and renovations to prioritize, as well as if the current location is the best option for seniors.
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 was spent on interior renovations, the city wanted to find out if the current location is the best for programming.
A memo from Senior Center Coordinator LaTasha DeLoach highlighted some of the survey’s key findings, including that 86 percent of respondents said the center’s proximity to downtown Iowa City amenities was valuable.
One respondent said, “The Senior Center should stay downtown. It’s centralized location is convenient for all. It brings diversity, vitality and economic success to downtown, making Iowa City a great place to retire.”
The Senior Center master plan has been in the works since December 2019, and an initial draft was presented last year to the Iowa City Council.
The Senior Center, a division within the city of Iowa City, has been serving older adults for decades. 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.
City staff will continue with the Senior Center facility master plan at the current location unless council directs otherwise, DeLoach said in the memo.
DeLoach previously told The Gazette the master plan is a “community-changing opportunity.”
“It will include renovations that will draw more individuals, I believe, into the space,” DeLoach said of potential changes for the interior. “It allows us to be able to serve our population and populations to come in the future and in a much more accessible way.”
The master plan has $13.8 million in potential upgrades and renovations of the current building, which is about double the $6.7 million the city has budgeted, according to numbers presented last year.
DeLoach said there will need to be a discussion of what upgrades are “wants” and which are “needs.” The Senior Center master plan will ultimately need final approval from the City Council.
Comments: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com
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