New tradition for Valley seniors

Chicken a la king took on added grandeur for nearly 80 seniors who came to the new Spokane Valley Senior Center for an inaugural luncheon on Tuesday.

“I’m overwhelmed. It’s going to take a little while for us to get used to it,” said Ellen McQuarrie, a retired nurse who’s been going to senior center functions for 10 years.

It was the start of a new tradition for the 950-member association, which for three decades held activities at a center on East Mission Avenue.

The new senior facility is located in a wing at CenterPlace, a $10 million community center owned by the city of Spokane Valley. The complex is located at Mirabeau Point, near Indiana Avenue between Pines and Evergreen roads, in an area that incorporates a park and Spokane River views.

“I’ve been watching this building come up from the first day they put a shovel in the ground,” said Chuck Chandler, a senior center board member. “It’s just going to be a super place for these people.”

Lunch is served at the center Monday through Friday. As before, meals are offered for donations and provided by Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels and Spokane Regional Health District’s senior nutrition program.

Inside the dining room Tuesday, men and women sat at tables of nine, chatting and surveying their new surroundings. The senior center has floor-to-ceiling windows and views that include a lush landscape and nearby Kaiser Aluminum.

Unlike the old building, which had a combined dancing and dining room, the new center has separate accommodations for those activities.

Betty Bangham, a longtime Spokane Valley resident and mother of five, thinks that’s a good thing; the dancing caused vibrations that made glasses and plates jiggle, she said.

While the new dining hall is notably more upscale, Bangham said the senior center is still about companionship.

“It’s wonderful. We know all the people here.”

Initial discussions about moving generated apprehension among some seniors, who viewed the old center as a second home.

“They were nervous about driving to a new spot,” said Evelyn McCarty, who runs the senior nutrition program at CenterPlace.

In the end, even some scoffers admitted the place has potential.

“They came in and told me, ‘Gee, it wasn’t bad at all,’ ” McCarty said.

While lunch gave members a taste of the new center, other areas – including a recreation room, the dance hall and a billiards parlor – are off limits until next week.

“I think it’s going to be nice when we get organized and get used to the new set-up,” said Naoma Dietz, a senior and volunteer.

McCarty said the industrial-sized kitchen, which boasts stainless steel counters, ample shelf space and big appliances, is “really top-notch and beautiful.

“The only thing we have to work on now is where to put our things.”