THOUSAND OAKS : City Council to Help Fund Senior Center

The operator of a senior day-care center in Thousand Oaks moved forward Wednesday with plans for a new building after the City Council agreed to help finance its construction.

The Fitzgerald House now operates out of a 1,100-square-foot building the city owns on Hodencamp Road and Hillcrest Drive.

The City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday to contribute up to $200,000 of $570,000 to construct a 5,600-square-foot building. The city’s portion will be financed largely from the sale of the existing Fitzgerald House.

Groundbreaking for the new center is expected by late October, said Eleanor Roche, acting president of Conejo Valley Senior Concerns Inc., which runs the Fitzgerald House.

The council’s decision culminates months of talks with the Lincoln Property Co. over a plan to finance the project, council members said.

Lincoln agreed to contribute up to $300,000 for construction of the senior day-care center. It also donated a half-acre parcel worth about $200,000 as part of the agreement permitting it to build a private apartment complex at Hodencamp Road and Hillcrest Drive, Mayor Alex Fiore said.

The center is one of four in Ventura County that offers programs for frail seniors. Licensed for 18 seniors, the center usually handles 13 or 14 people a day but does not have wheelchair access, Roche said.

The new building will allow Fitzgerald House to handle up to 50 people, including seniors in wheelchairs.