$7.9 million Bowling Green senior center nears completion

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (WTVG) - Since March 16th of 2020, all seven senior centers across Wood County have been shut down due to the pandemic.

“We’ve continued with virtual programming, with telephone support services, with one-on-one visits all fully masked, and offered home-delivered meals,” said Executive Director of the Wood County Committee on Aging Denise Niese. “We did this to try and soften the social isolation that seniors are experiencing right now.”

Staff with the Wood County Committee on Aging are now looking ahead and are eyeing a slow return to in-person services for seniors.

“As the weather starts getting nicer and more people are getting their immunizations, one of the things we’re experiencing is our phone is ringing with people saying when are you guys going to open, we are tired of being home alone, we need to get out, and we want to be with our friends,” said Niese.

Niese says she’s listened to the concerns of the community and will restart services in a safe and special way. Wood County Committee on Aging official’s first step back to normalcy will be welcoming guests inside their new $7.9 38,000 square foot senior center located at 140 S. Grove St., in Bowling Green.

“The timing for this building, for this construction project, is just perfect,” said Niese. “To wrap up a pandemic and to celebrate getting to go back to normal life by bringing back the seniors together in this wonderful new facility, its perfect.”

The construction project began last April and has been built by Mosser Construction Inc. out of Maumee. The new center houses a formal dining room, an adult day care center, and an area for yoga classes, billiards, and bingo.

The new senior center will also offer a wide variety of art classes, fitness workouts, and move... — The new senior center will also offer a wide variety of art classes, fitness workouts, and move screenings(Jack Bassett)

Mary-Margaret Boda is the Project Manager of the site.

“Mosser Construction is very proud of this project,” said Boda. “It’s always good to see it come together in the end, and we’re looking forward to seeing the smiles of seniors here. We know this project will really give seniors something they have really been looking forward to and longing for during quarantine. Once we’re all able to get through this and really open up this building, they’ll be able to get the full potential out of activities, the dining that’s going to be available, the media center, and just a lot of the programs that Wood County has. Its just going to be great.”

Senior center staff will move into the space later this month and will gradually open the space to small groups of Wood County seniors in the days ahead, with COVID-19 precautions in place.