When will the Senior Center be open?
The new home of the Gold Country Community Senior Center will be in the building located at 231 Colfax Hwy. in Grass Valley. Extensive renovation is required, including installing a new commercial kitchen. Fortunately, we received a grant through Nevada County for demolishing the old kitchen and café areas. The grant also included developing architectural plans and blueprints, as well as the permits required to submit plans to the City of Grass Valley.
Why did we have to demolish the old kitchen?
Unfortunately, the layout of the old kitchen would not support the ability of our program to efficiently
produce our current level of meals nor allow us to expand our ability to serve more meals. The
equipment was old and in disrepair.
What Progress Has Been Made?
Today, the demolition is complete, and we submitted plans to the City of Grass Valley in December. We expect to receive permits early this year and begin renovation in May. The Agency on Aging (Area 4) has provided us with a grant to cover the cost of most, but not all of the commercial kitchen equipment.
What is the Cost?
The total cost is approximately $895,000. So far, we have raised $430,000 towards funding this project, and we need an additional $465,000 to bring it to completion. We continue to seek grants and welcome funding through community donations and scheduled fundraisers. We are also developing innovative approaches to generating in-kind donations for improvements to the building and the parking lot.
What is the Project Timeline?
Our goal is to have the commercial kitchen completed by the end of June 2023. This will allow us to bring our Meals on Wheels and community dining into the building by July 1, 2023. Plans for outdoor dining will follow at the end of the year, with a view to opening in 2024. Program activities could start again, and the coffee shop could open sometime between Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024. Plans for outdoor dining will follow at the end of the year, with a view to opening in 2024.
What Can I do?
You can make a donation by going to the DONATE page of the website. You can contact us for further information on how to get involved through volunteering or joining our Board of Directors. You can share our vision with your friends and social network so that we get the message out!