By Tori Jorgensen

Hundreds of community members attended the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Midvale Senior Center July 15. The ceremony commenced with remarks by the mayors of Salt Lake County and Midvale City. 

The director of Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services and the center advisory committee president also spoke at the event. 

Becky Kapp, director of Salt Lake County Aging & Adult Services, said it took “only a brief 18 months” for the Midvale Senior Center to go from “dirt to building.” The county’s aging services did not have the funds to open the center prior to the scheduled date in September. Mayor Ben McAdams of Salt Lake County said Mayor JoAnn Seghini of Midvale had an impact on the center’s early opening.

“Mayor Seghini would not put down the phone until we agreed to move forward with the senior center,” he said during his remarks at the ribbon cutting. Many people in the crowd laughed in response. “The Salt Lake County Council heard the plea for more funds,” he continued. “So we are actually happy to be over budget so we can open this center a little early.”

McAdams said investing money in the senior center was a way to show gratitude for the seniors who he said laid the groundwork to make the community into what it is today. 

Seghini said the structure of the building itself shows the history and background of Midvale. She called the architect who designed the building to the microphone and thanked him for his design. 

“What do we have here?” Seghini said, referencing to the center. “… What you have is a piece of art. [The copper paneling] represents mining, the silo in the back represents agriculture, the brick represents the history of Main Street.”

Along with calling the building a work of art, Seghini said it would act as a home away from home. She said the senior population is the fastest growing demographic in Midvale and there are more and more seniors who need services each year.  

“What you need to do as you use this center is that you need to know you can be part of designing what goes on here,” she said to the seniors in the crowd. “This is your senior center, it’s not the county’s. It is [theirs] on paper, but it is yours in practice. It doesn’t belong to the city. It belongs to you.” Spectators clapped.

After the speeches, both mayors placed their hands on the giant scissors as they collaboratively cut the yellow ribbon that was draped across the front walkway.  Many cheers were heard. The grand opening of the center proceeded until 4 p.m. with self-guided tours of the building, free manicures and pedicures by Color My Nails, raffles provided by the county, live entertainment by the group The Mixed Nuts and more. 

Kapp said she is confident that the new center will bring more participants to it. She said the new Midvale Senior Center is serving 15 more meals per day on average than the old center. Kapp said the participation of the Draper Senior Center increased by 76 percent after their new building was built, and it is good to see Midvale Senior Center is already having similar results. 

The center’s hours of operation are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Breakfast is served from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., and lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The new facilities offer tai chi, quilting, needlecraft, choir, bingo, ping-pong, poker, yoga, line dancing and other classes. For a full list of activities, see http://slco.org/aging-adult-services/midvale-senior-center/.