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Over a year has passed since the Longmont Senior Center closed to the public. Beginning May 3, the center will welcome seniors back with some limitations.
Members of the community ages 55 or older will be able to participate in reservation-only activities at the 910 Longs Peak Ave. facility, which will be operating on a limited basis from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon. through Fri.
“Even things that formally were drop-in activities people will have to make reservations for,” said Michele Waite, senior services manager at the city of Longmont. “Things change and sometimes they change very quickly, but we will try to adapt as quickly as we can as things unfold.”
The city of Longmont facility closed to the public on Mar. 13, 2020 to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and since has offered only virtual and outdoor classes and support to seniors.
“Certainly older adults were a very vulnerable population during this pandemic. Right now they (Boulder County Public Health) are saying that more than 90% of people over 70 have been vaccinated. That's a good thing,” Waite said. “And we've been hearing from customers ‘when will you open?,’ they are ready to come back.”
As of Apr. 19, 60% of Boulder County residents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose with over 35% residents immunized with a full course of a vaccine, according to data by Boulder County Public Health.
David Twait, a longtime Longmont resident, has been involved in the Senior Center for just over a decade.
During the pandemic, he has stayed engaged mostly through the computer support group through Zoom, joining virtual meetings for an average of 12-15 hours every month, he said.
Before, he was active in the table tennis program and coordinated the group at the center.
“Before COVID, the senior center had good activities, especially table tennis. It was good for socializing, good for hand-eye coordination and it’s a good thing to get those things taken care of twice a week for two hours each time,” he said. “Most of us who played did that very regularly. It was fun playing and had a really good group of people.”
The Senior Center will be reintroducing in-person table tennis at the facility once it reopens with sessions twice a month for an hour each time, he said.
“My wife and I had our COVID shot and feel a bit more comfortable with going out,” Twait said. “I’ve talked with several people there (at the Senior Center) and we’re anxious to get going again.”
Waite said enough staff and safety procedures will be in place to ensure everybody visiting the center stays safe, and chairs, tables, and rooms will be thoroughly cleaned and hand sanitizing stations will be available.
A staff person or a volunteer will greet people in the front lobby, asking visitors what activity they are joining or answering questions, and visitors will need to enter and exit through different doors to manage traffic flow, she said.
“We are looking at reinforcing the message around social distancing,” she said, adding other safety measures will be implemented as needed depending on the activity. “We are going activity by activity as to what makes sense. For example, if you knit, bring your own knitting needles, please don't share.”
Waite said the Senior Services team is still working on figuring out what activities will be offered in-person starting in May, using the 2021 June-July-August catalog as a starting guide, which is yet to be published.
“We've never done this before so we’re going a little slow, maybe slower than people want,” she said. “We are trying to learn from our colleagues at recreation at the REC Center who have been doing this for several months and have been a great resource for us.”
While people will only be able to access activities on a reservation basis, community members may visit the front lobby in-person to request information or ask questions once it is open to the public, Waite said.
For more information on available in-person activities at the Longmont Senior Center, visit the website or call the front desk at 303-651-8411.
