Senior citizens center still faces many, many obstacles. Since the formation of the Arcadia Senior Citizens' Commission in 1978 one of its goals has been to acquire or construct a senior citizens/community center.
A building contract for a senior citizens center has been awarded to Nationwide Construction of Downey. Groundbreaking is anticipated in three months. The center will be built on the triangular piece of land at the intersection of Holly Avenue and Campus and Huntington Drives across from the Chamber of Commerce.
Marilyn Morrison, community relations director for Methodist Hospital, and John Joseph, chairman of the Senior Citizens Commission have been named Arcadia Citizens of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce.
Arcadia could build a multi-purpose Senior Citizen Center for $1.5 million plus the cost of the property, according to a report submitted to the City Council by Warren Shaw, chairman of the Arcadia Senior Citizen's Commission. The report indicated that most of the money would come from state and federal sources, but that Arcadia would need to chip in at least $225,000 of matching funds. The center is necessary, Shaw said, due to a current lack of senior citizen facilities.
Plans to build a new Arcadia Senior Center are moving forward, with studies of the center's possible role, funding for the center and scouting for a site under way.
Rose Hassing, 27, currently the director of volunteer services for the Pasadena American Red Cross, will become the new senior citizens supervisor for the City of Arcadia as of February 7. She is replacing Betty Harris, who retired in December after 20 years with the city's senior citizens services.
Construction of a new senior center in Arcadia will be funded in part through more than $200.000 allocated from federal Community Development Block Grant funds for the 1988-89 fiscal year, not through an exchange of money with another city that would have cost Arcadia about $75,000.
Petitions asking the Arcadia City Council to commit itself to the building of a multi-purpose senior citizens center are being circulated by the ad hoc committee of the Arcadia Senior Citizen's Commission.
The city has decided against trying to lease a vacated elementary school for a senior citizen center. Seniors are interested in having a drop-in center but the additional cost of leasing a school would not be justified.
The new Senior Citizen Center, now in the architectural drawing stage of development will replace the Rose Garden at the corner of Huntington and Campus Drives. The center will house the administration offices of the Arcadia Parks and Recreation Department and the Historical Museum.
Progress toward the construction of a 100-unit senior housing development in Arcadia is being made, but slowly. A Section 202 low-income senior citizen housing project was approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in September 1981.
Two years of delays may soon be over and construction can begin on a 100-unit senior citizen housing project for Arcadia. The only problem currently standing between the developer and construction of the project at 645 West Naomi Avenue is written assurance that modification to the building plan does not require changes in the foundation.
An ad hoc committee of seniors plans to collect 5,000 signatures by the end of February asking the Arcadia City Council to commit itself to acquiring a senior center.
The gated complex for low-income senior citizens to be called Heritage Park at Arcadia is under construction with hundreds of people entered in the lottery to rent one of the 54 units.