DERBY — One of the area’s most active senior centers is likely to become even more so now that it’s moved into a new $7.3 million, 13,750-square-foot home. That’s the consensus of those who’ve checked out the Derby Senior Center, which opened April 20 at 1315 S. Rock Road.
“This is a premier senior center that’s built for the next 30 years,” said John McIntosh, a member of the city’s Senior Services Advisory Board. “I just see it being used a lot.”
Previously located at the Derby City Hall on Mulberry Street, the new facility came about after the Cross of Glory Lutheran church donated its building and six acres of land to the city. Derby officials decided on new construction after concluding additions and a remodel would prove too challenging.
The Derby Senior Center is the second such new facility to open in Sedgwick County this year. Park City opened its new $5.7 million, 13,000-square-foot senior center in late February.
McIntosh said the new center is designed to engage seniors in different ways than the old facility did.
“We’re going to be able to expand programs, especially with this outdoor area,” he said, gesturing to the center’s patio. “The old building was a bunch of little rooms, and it wasn’t well designed. We want to get new programming and new people out here.”
Having two fitness studios instead of one means concurrent classes can be scheduled. A larger arts-and-craft room will accommodate bigger groups for quilting, knitting and coloring classes. One of the most popular of these is a twice-weekly quilters group that sews quilts for the Wichita Children’s Home and for first responders to pass on to children.
Just inside the lobby doors, a large community room holds tables and chairs for socializing along with pool tables. An adjacent room, with a fireplace and small seating area, can be used for small group meetings such as the monthly Alzheimer’s and dementia support group for caregivers and a grief support group. There are large and small conference rooms, a technology room with computers and a kitchen.
Jenny Foster-Farquhar, director of Derby Senior Services and Transportation, also highlighted the center’s outdoor features such as garage doors in the multi-purpose room that can be opened to extend dances and other activities to the patio.
When Senior Services started a community garden a few years ago, she said, it had to use a plot of land off site at the Derby Public Works headquarters. Now the garden, which will have raised beds of varying heights, is just a short walk from the back patio. There’s also a paved quarter-mile walking path and turf area for outside exercise classes.
“What we were missing most at our former location was that we had little-to-no outdoor space,” Foster-Farquhar said.
Tandra Shikata is a regular user of the center, taking line dancing and tai chi classes. She was excited after seeing the new arts and crafts room and the fitness studios, which have flooring designed to cause less strain on body joints.
The new building, Shikata said, “makes me want to get even more involved.”
Membership in the Derby Senior Center is free for those ages 55 and older. Currently about 1,300 of the more than 3,000 members are active users, Foster-Farquhar said.
Hours for the new center are 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-noon on the first, third and fifth Fridays of the month, with extended hours to 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays. For more information, call (316) 788-0223 or visit derbyks.gov/243/Senior-Services.
Contact Amy Geiszler -Jones at algj64@sbcglobal.net
