Sparta-White County Senior Center Making Progress

The Sparta-White County Senior Center has a new director as work continues to reopen the center with new plans and activities to offer.

Director Jayne Guy said the community at large has come together and put a lot of work into the restructuring of the center. Guy said there is no official re-opening date, but her personal hope is to be able to open in six weeks.

“There’s a few things that have to be addressed from the board, addressed from people that are coming in to do different types of cleaning and/or restoring of things,” Guy said. “There’s also a process of getting everything set up. This is only week two for me.”

Guy said one of their plans involves changing the center’s outdoor building to a pickleball court. Guy also said she is going to go through a training process that will allow the center to host evidence-based programs that are supported by the UCDD.

“One of those is Drums Alive, which is kind of an exercise program where you use the large exercise balls and – and drumsticks, and you’re doing some drumming while you’re exercising,” Guy said. “That’s one of the programs we hope to implement that’s supported by the development district. And then, also, there’s a Bingocize that involves bingo that is crossed over with exercise, and there’s an additional program of the same manner that’s bingo that is crossed over with nutritional information too.”

The board disbanded last December after concerns arose over financial issues within the center. Guy said one of their goals is to offer activities that will appeal to new people of all ages.

“We’re hoping to get a little more diverse,” Guy said. “A little broader range of ages, and – and also get some specific things in here to hopefully get the men more interested in some of the activities that we do here too.”

Guy said they plan on taking community feedback for the center’s long-term plans after it re-opens.

“We’ll be all ears on that and trying to implement whatever the community does want once we start getting people in here,” Guy said.