Shelley Senior Center completing final upgrades

SHELLEY – Hammers are banging, and saws are buzzing as Shelley Citizen Center completes its final facelift. 

The Senior Citizen Center received $215,000 in grant money to complete its final upgrades to its kitchen, restrooms, and overall building. The building is now being renovated. During construction, the center will run its operation from the Methodist Church at 190 S. Holmes.

“We will complete construction by March 6,” Allen Clark, the project’s contractor, said.

Denine Wong, director of the facility, said they received $200,000 in grant money from the Idaho Department of Commerce and $15,000 in grant money from CHC Foundation, an independent, private charity in Idaho Falls.  These monies will fund the project.

Wong said the renovation project includes replacing the kitchen countertops, enlarging the restrooms for wheelchairs, and constructing an emergency exit door at the building’s back.

It will also include installing a shower in one of the restrooms and installing an emergency generator in case of a power outage event. 

“With a shower and generator, we can use this building as an emergency shelter,” Wong said. 

She hopes to partner with the Red Cross, allowing them to use the facility in case of a natural disaster.    

Wong said they will continue to provide curbside meals and “meals on wheels” during the construction. 

“We are using the Methodist Church, located at Pine Street and Holmes Avenue, to run our operation,” she said.

The center will also continue its online Bingo and Fit and Fall Proof Exercise class through Zoom.  The Zoom code for these events is on the Shelley Center’s Facebook page and their newsletter.