COA considers senior center options

St. Joseph County Commission On Aging Director Tim Stoll has been instructed to determine the feasibility and potential cost of a new senior center built on county-owned property in Fabius Township.
The proposed facility would replace the Three Rivers senior center, which is housed in the south half of the Three Rivers Public Library building.
County commissioners discussed the issue at Wednesday’s work session, during which the five-member panel assembled to prioritize large-scale projects.
Commission chairman Allen Balog said the city of Three Rivers has made no secret of its desire for the county to purchase the library/COA building so it can move the library to what will soon be a vacant bank building in the downtown district.
The library/COA building is owned by the city and the COA is charged $500 a month for rent. The facility has been offered to the county for $500,000, Balog said.
Commissioner John Dobberteen, meanwhile, said if the county is going to spend an unknown amount of money to buy and renovate the 60-year-old library/COA building, it should weigh the option of constructing new.
Parks and recreation director Jaymes MacDonald was advised to work with Stoll to determine a prospective site for a potential new facility at Meyer Broadway.