<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Members of the Mill Creek Senior Center, Jun Brandenburg (left), of Woodinville, and Evelyn Schmidt, of Bothell, join friends in a game of bridge as they celebrate the opening of the new Mill Creek Senior Center at an open house Sept. 30 in the Annex Building next to Mill Creek City Hall. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Mill Creek city officials, including senior center program manager Bill Durham (right, wearing nametag), celebrate the opening of the new Mill Creek Senior Center at an open house Sept. 30. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Mill Creek seniors mingle during an open house celebration for the new Mill Creek Senior Center.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Senior Center gets new digs

By Katie Murdoch
Enterprise editor

The Mill Creek branch of the Northshore Senior Center celebrated its new digs last week.

The senior center relocated from space it shared with the Washington State University Extension in McCollum Park to the bottom floor of the Annex Building at 15720 Main St., next to the Mill Creek City Hall.

Senior Center staff hosted an open house at the new location Sept. 30.

“Sometimes what you wish for comes true,” Manager Bill Durham said.

Meeting the growing demands of area seniors from the center's cramped quarters at the Extension building was getting taxing. Often, Durham had to scramble to find locations for events to which people would be willing to travel.

“We had to share everything,” he said. “It worked great, but it wasn't ours.”

About 1,000 Mill Creek seniors, including more than 300 regular, paying members, come each year to play Bunko, enroll in computer courses and take trips through the center. The branch is part of the Bothell-based Northshore Senior Center, which has a total of 7,500 participants. The system also has programs in Kenmore and Woodinville.

The Mill Creek Senior Center offers several services, including free health and wellness support with a nurse and social worker, and educational, social and recreational services to assist seniors in maintaining their independence. The facility also provides computer and enrichment classes, trips, and fitness programs.

Durham said he regularly hears positive feedback, primarily about the computer courses. “I'm not bragging but our computer classes are pretty good,” he said. The new facility features a computer lab owned by the Senior Center and a conference room that can serve as a venue for group meetings, parties and classrooms.

But more than programs, the center is a lifeline for seniors, giving them an outlet to socialize and stay active, Durham said. “Some are new to the area and it's how they meet people and get connected,” he said.

Durham stressed he remains grateful for the WSU Extension facility.

“They're wonderful people,” he said. “Without them, we wouldn't be where we are.”

Yet he's ecstatic to have the space to grow and offer more resources for current and future members.

“To a lot of seniors, it's their home away from home,” he said. “We needed to find a facility conducive to that.”