It’s about time that Fresno’s older residents have a place to hang out, make friends

After more than a decade of talk but no action, a key goal of Fresno leaders is going to be realized: The city is going to have its own senior center.

On Monday the Fresno City Council agreed to spend $6.4 million to purchase the vacant Vons supermarket property in the 4300 block of North Blackstone Avenue. There, the empty market will be torn down, and a “state of the art” senior center built in its place, to use the description of Mayor Jerry Dyer and council members Tyler Maxwell and Nelson Esparza.

Fresno is later than most cities to providing its older residents a community center of their own. In a 2017 report by a task force formed to advise the council on the subject, it was noted that in the San Joaquin Valley, the much smaller cities of Clovis, Orange Cove, Huron, Exeter and others “provide their older adults a place to socialize, eat and participate in activities that keep them healthy mentally and physically.”

As the debate about where to place a senior center wore on, it is not a stretch to say that older Fresnans lived, and then died, before a place devoted to their unique needs could be opened.

The unfortunate past of unrealized hopes was not the focus Monday. Instead, Dyer, Maxwell and Esparza were excited at the prospect of adding a senior center to the city’s services, and were resolute that nothing would stand in the way of that happening.

“It’s a momentous day, and certainly a historic day, for the city of Fresno,” Dyer told a small gathering in the parking lot of the empty supermarket under a bright blue sky.

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Across the street from the empty Vons is a furniture store; to the north is a car wash. An auto parts store and several other businesses along the south edge of the parking lot are included in the deal; the plan is for them to keep operating. The Tacos Tijuana restaurant immediately further south on Blackstone is unaffected, Dyer said.

Three different spots were considered for the senior center, including Einstein Park, located in the 3500 block of East Dakota Avenue. But senior advocates pushed for using the Vons location for its Blackstone address. The city’s Bus Rapid Transit system travels up and down Blackstone, so transportation to the center will be easily accommodated for seniors needing to take public transit.

What do seniors want?

Once escrow closes on the property, the next step will be learning from Fresno seniors about what they want in their center. Broadly speaking, city leaders see it as a place for socializing, exercising and celebrating Fresno’s cultural richness. Some manner of meal program will almost certainly be included, Dyer said.

He said the city plans to hold a series of meetings, in different languages, to hear the ideas of older residents. Nearly 60,000 people in Fresno are considered seniors in the latest census data.

Their feedback will be shared with a designer who will draft concepts for the center. Dyer estimates the new place will cost $20 million or more. A combination of grants, Measure P tax monies and general fund revenues will pay for it. If all goes well, construction could begin in 2024.

Many details need to be worked out. But by committing millions to the project at a specific location, Fresno leaders are showing they are serious this time about creating a senior center. It is now up to the older residents to share their aspirations for such a place.

“I want our seniors to think big,” Dyer said. “They deserve it.”