8 Years Ago

The Senior Center at Cascades, Loudoun County's first freestanding senior center, officially opened to the public eight years ago this month, on May 18, 1999. The 16,000 square-foot building is located next to the Cascades Library. Construction of the senior center was first proposed in the county's 1988 Capital Improvements Program. However, construction of the facility was delayed for several years because of funding constraints.

A grassroots organization, Friends of the Senior Center at Cascades, Inc. (FSCC), worked for several years to raise funds and rally support for the facility, and subsequently to assist the county with the building plans. FSCC raised some of the funds through its thrift store, Second Hand Rose. The project received a significant boost in November 1995, when Loudoun County voters approved bond financing of $2.67 million for the project. The 2.9-acre site had already been proffered for the express purpose of building a senior center. A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the senior center was held on February 18, 1998, followed by a reception at the neighboring library. James Keene of FSCC served as master of ceremonies, and Betty Lee Lippincott presented to the county a $110,500 check from FSCC, to help fund items such as room partitions, wall coverings, and carpeting for the senior center. The Senior Center at Cascades opened exactly 15 months later. It featured an aerobics studio and small fitness center; an arts and crafts room; a ceramics room with more than 400 molds and two kilns; a club room for reading, playing cards, and socializing; a classroom and computer lab; a game room with Ping-Pong, pool, and board games; a small library; and a variety of meeting rooms. When it opened, the Cascades center became the county’s second senior center. The Leesburg senior center, which was then located on the first floor of the Shenandoah office building, has since moved to the building that houses the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, on Depot Court. Senior centers have also opened at the Arcola Community Center and, most recently, at the Carver Center in Purcellville. The senior centers offer daily noon meals and a wide range of recreational, educational, and cultural opportunities for older adults.

 

This is one of a series of weekly releases from the Loudoun County Office of Public Information highlighting landmark events in the Loudoun County government during its 250-year history.

Sources:

Area Agency on Aging press release and fact sheet

The LENS (Loudoun County Employee Newsletter)

Guide to Services in Loudoun County

Image: Senior Center at Cascades under Construction, 1998; photo by Jim Barnes