SENIOR CENTER TO BE OCCUPIED LATER IN MONTH

Cape Girardeau seniors citizens hope to celebrate July 4th in their new Senior Center building.

Plans call for a June 24 moving day. The kitchen at the new facility should be open for noon meals on June 29.

"The building won't be complete," said Jo Nelle Lingo, administrator of the Senior Center. "We'll still have a lot of work inside and out, but we will be moving."

Initially, seniors hoped to hold a New Year's Eve party at the facility, 921 N. Clark Street. But construction delays have pushed back the opening six months.

The new, $400,000 facility has been designed to specifically meet the needs of seniors, with 8,040 square feet of floor space; 105 parking spaces are also planned.

The new facility will seat 50-75 percent more people for meals, and it also includes two areas where meetings and classes can be held.

Lingo said the center must move this month or lose $3,000 in federal money. She had budgeted moving costs, but the federal fiscal year ends June 30.

"We don't have a moving van yet. We'll have to work on that," she said.

Senior citizens also plan to do some of the finishing work themselves, a cost-saving measure.

"Someone donated the paint, but we have to do the painting," she said. "So we're organizing a painting party this weekend."

On Saturday morning, volunteers are welcome to help with painting.

"Anything we can do will save some money," she said.

The project has been plagued with delays since the bid was accepted in September. For example, Lingo said, work on the parking lot was scheduled to begin last Friday, but a storm pushed back work again.

"The floors still have to be done. Most of the sheet rock is up, but the bathrooms are not in. The ceiling has not been hung yet," she said.

But Lingo is confident that enough of the building will be complete to allow the noon meal program to begin. The meal program is the cornerstone of the senior center.

Seniors have been doing fund raising, including bake sales and donations, to fund construction. No government money is being used.

"We've done a lot of things to make money," she said. But more money is needed.

Lingo said other senior centers have rented their buildings and done catering for civic club meetings, weddings, anniversaries and other dinners to raise revenue.

"We'll have to do something to make ends meet," she said.