The former WECU office building on East Bellis Fair Parkway will be the future home of the Bellingham Senior Activity Center.
Whatcom Council on Aging (WCOA) purchased the property on July 31 to better serve the area’s growing population of seniors.
At the current Bellingham Senior Activity Center on Halleck Street, which has around 400 people coming through its doors every day, members dance in the dining room and do yoga in the conference room. With no air conditioning, the center’s popular fitness classes have to be canceled when the weather gets too hot.
In addition to central air conditioning and a spacious open floor plan for dedicated activities, the Bellis Fair site has a lot of marks in its favor: the building has a large parking lot, is fully ADA compliant and is served by public transit. It’s also located in the diverse and growing Meridian and Cordata population centers and near future senior housing projects.
The new location, 140 E. Bellis Fair Parkway, also has a large outbuilding that WCOA will convert into a commercial kitchen to bring its Meals on Wheels and More program fully in-house. The nonprofit distributes 270,000 meals a year between hot lunches at the center and delivered meals for homebound seniors across Whatcom and San Juan counties. Right now, those meals are mostly purchased from a vendor.
Nutrition and exercise are important, but according to the Aging Well Whatcom 2022 Blueprint, relationships and social interactions are the most crucial factors affecting older people’s quality of life.
“We really want the senior center to be a place that connects to a wide, diverse group of seniors in our community,” WCOA Executive Director Chris Orr said.
WCOA has more than 2,000 members and around 300 volunteers, many of whom are seniors helping other seniors.
Orr said demand will only increase in coming years. The senior (60-plus) population of Whatcom County, currently around 56,000 people, is projected to grow to 80,000 by 2040, while the county’s population of people who are 85 or older is expected to jump by roughly 200%. In addition to providing Meals on Wheels, WCOA collaborates and shares resources with other senior centers in Blaine, Sumas, Everson and Lynden.
“We’re busier than ever, and we’re struggling with capacity,” Orr said. “By expanding, we’re hoping to set ourselves up for success in the future.”
Relocation won’t happen immediately. With the Meridian property secured, WCOA will now fundraise the $10 million needed to renovate and operate the center, in what the organization is calling a “comprehensive campaign” because it incorporates both programmatic and capital improvements. The campaign will include more in-depth planning and outreach on how WCOA can best provide for the growing population of Whatcom seniors.
“It will be a big lift for a big vision,” Orr said. “We appreciate people’s patience in this process because we want to get it right.”
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
