Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Public meetings set for next week.
Parkview Elementary School, when it is replaced by a new campus near 14th Street and Schepps Boulevard, is a possibility for a future senior center and meal site. The Commission on Older Adults has three public input meetings set up this week at Clovis' current senior centers to talk with citizens about the topic.
CLOVIS — Clovis' older adults are looking for a new place to call home.
The Clovis Commission on Older Adults (CCOA) is holding a series of public meetings to get input regarding a future new or renovated facility for Clovis seniors, according to CCOA chair Donna Labatt.
The meetings will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at La Casa Senior Center, 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Friendship Senior Center and 8:30 a.m. at Baxter-Curren Senior Center.
Labatt, who was re-elected as chair last week, wants area residents to know that no existing facilities will be closed and no decision has yet been made.
According to Assistant City Manager Claire Burroughes, the Clovis city commission entered into a non-binding letter of intent with Clovis Municipal Schools in March of 2016 to obtain the vacated Parkview Elementary building once the new school has been completed.
The city commission and Commission on Older Adults are looking into the possibility of using the building for a new senior facility.
Burroughes said if an agreement is made between the city and CMS, the senior facility renovations to the school building could begin by late 2019 or early 2020, dependent on the completion of the new Parkview elementary construction.
A task force of Older Adults looked into the matter, according to Labatt, who notes, "There are pros and cons to all of these things."
The task force determined the Parkview building has potential, Labatt said, because it includes many separate rooms for activities, and already has a large kitchen and gym area.
According to Labatt, the Curry Residents Senior Meal Association applied for funding for the program "because their existing location (at the Matthew 25 building) is inadequate."
"If you're going to build a new facility for a meal site, it makes sense to have it located near a senior facility," Labatt said. "(We) have to look at and discuss these possibilities."
A task for recommendation to use Parkview has initially been rejected by the Commission on Older Adults — partially because the funding allocated to CRSMA is earmarked for constructing a new building and not renovating an existing one.
The commission is looking into other city-owned facilities, but there are no concrete plans.
"The only decision that came out was to seek public input," Labatt said.
Labatt believes a new senior facility would lead to better utilization, and might grow activities like Senior Olympics because another gym facility could complement the Roy Walker Recreation Center and perhaps make the city a more attractive host site for larger competitions.
