FORKS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WLVT) - The Park Plaza Senior Community Center has a new home, a mile and a half away from its former location on Sullivan Trail.
"It is so exciting," said center manager Debbie Mertz. "We've waited for this for eight months."
Friday morning, the center had a ceremonial ribbon cutting, joined by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and Northampton County officials.
"Inside is just so beautiful, and I believe the seniors deserve something like this after all those years of labor," said Aljetta Broughton, 75, who lives in Easton's Southside.
"Every penny that was spent was well worth it, because the seniors will be here for years," added fellow Southside resident Mary Ann Kinchen, 68.
The center's location makes it less isolated now, Mertz said, adding that nearby businesses have offered to provide new activities with music and dance. Seniors told PBS39 Friday that they plan on visiting the neighboring vendors as they spend time at the senior center.
"I love it, plus we got the ice cream place close to it to get an ice cream on a hot sunny day," said James Broughton, 77, who is Aljetta's husband of 55 years.
The center currently serves up to 60 seniors, but Mertz said she’s hoping to get that number to 100. She said there’s plenty to do, including ways to give back to the community.
"We have ladies who sew. They are so incredible," she said. "They make fidget quilts for Alzheimer's and autism."
"The more we get active, the less we are in the nursing home," Kinchen said, "and that just saves the county money and and the state of Pennsylvania money."
With two months left before the Pennsylvania primary, the county is making sure seniors know how to use its voting machines, which have been fixed since November’s election. Last year, issues with the touch screen and inaccurate counting prompted the machine manufacturer to reconfigure the devices. Several seniors said they feel better about the process now and are ready to vote.
"When we didn't know how to program our VCR, we learned. We didn't know how to do texting, but we've learned," Kinchen said. "So, it's just a process that we have to learn."
"A lot of the things and activities and what-have-you for seniors depends on having the right person in office," Aljetta Broughton said.
In the meantime, seniors said they’ll be at the center often, and the staff looks forward to it.
"Sometimes they're my mom. Other times, I'm their mom," Mertz said. "It's like a weird relationship, but they have so much to give yet."
The center is open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mertz said she’s hoping to extend hours to include evening programs in the future.