Funding approved for senior center in Sturgis

Despite concerns from a pair of commissioners, a plan to allocate $2.6 million toward construction of a senior center in Sturgis was approved Tuesday.

The funding marks a major step in what has been a four-year process to build such a facility to benefit seniors on the east side of the county.

Proponents of a new Sturgis site have said the current facility in Sturgis is in poor condition, and it is too far to Three Rivers to patronize the senior center there. The building is slated for the east side of town in the vicinity of the Doyle Center.

The $2.6 million will come from the county’s delinquent-tax fund.

Sturgis Mayor Ken Malone said the COA’s millage dollars will be used to repay the county’s loan. In the end, COA will own the Sturgis building once the county’s loan is repaid in full.

The next step will focus on developing plans for the new building. Groundbreaking won’t likely take place until spring, Commission chair John Dobberteen said.