The dedication ceremony for a new senior activity center in Casco Township is planned for this month.
Julie Cowie is a member of the Van Buren County Senior Services Board and tells us the activity center is located right at the Casco Township Hall in a previously vacant space.
“There was a fire station that housed six trucks, had six bays, and has been vacant since 2010, and the seniors have been using it pretty much as in the garage state,” Cowie said.
Cowie says although South Haven has a senior center, there was still a need for a gathering space in nearby Casco Township.
“A couple years ago, in 2024, Casco Township voted to have their senior programming delivered by Senior Services of Van Buren County, because Casco Township is technically in Allegan County, but we’ve had a voted senior millage since the mid-90s and we’ve had various forms of programming at the Casco Township Hall led by senior staff over the years. But Senior Services of Van Buren County has a beautiful new facility in South Haven that opened, I think, in 2022 and so a lot of Casco residents wanted to participate in programming at that location, but there has always been a group of seniors who like to meet at the Casco Township Hall. So the Casco site is basically a site of Senior Services of Van Buren County.”
A $200,000 state allocation secured for Van Buren County Senior Services by state Representative Joey Andrews has helped make the new activity center possible.
“It’s a wonderful large space and now it’s carpeted. There are cafe tables and chairs for the seniors to use. They gather for cards once a week. There’s a large open area for cardio drumming and chair yoga. They gather for bingo. And so it’s just got a really nice space for them.”
Cowie says they also added ADA-accessible doors and restrooms. The total cost of the center was $500,000 and construction took place between September and early April.
The dedication will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 20 at the township hall with Representative Andrews and representatives of Van Buren County Senior Services and Casco Township on hand. Everyone’s invited.
