Foley preparing plans for new Senior Center

Foley preparing plans for new Senior Center

Plans are moving forward to construct a new building to serve as the future home of the Foley Senior Center. The Foley City Council voted Monday, March 23, to seek proposals for plans for the building.
David Thompson, Foley executive director of leisure services, said the city had considered renovating the current library building as a new Senior Center when the new library opens later in 2026. Officials determined that a new building that was designed as a Senior Center would be a more practical solution.
“We’re looking at a brand new building,” Thompson told council members. “We’re asking at this time to go out for proposals.”
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the current library, located next to City Hall, will be renovated for other municipal purposes. The current Senior Center on East Rose Avenue has about 7,000 square feet of space, which is not enough to meet growing demands for services as the demand for services increases.
“We’re so overloaded in our current Senior Center,” Hellmich said. “There is such a need. We thought that the library could work, but after looking at that building, we found that it would require a lot of excess money to change the use of that building. It’s by far better to do a purpose-built building where you get better bang for your buck and then keep the old library for other uses.”
The mayor said a location being considered for the new Senior Center would be near the former National Guard armory, which is now being renovated for city uses. Foley plans to open new city offices and recreation facilities in the former armory, located behind City Hall, later this year.