IRVINE : New Senior Center Is Readied for Use

The Lakeview Senior Center’s gala grand opening was last week, but seniors will not be able to use the facility until Monday, city officials said.

Workers are spending this week transporting furniture and equipment into the 30,593-square-foot complex, which includes an adult day care center.

“We are moving in at this point,” said Judy Wright, a program specialist for the city.

The center’s grand opening Saturday drew more than 4,000 people to the site, on the shores of a lake in Woodbridge. Television personality Art Linkletter and other entertainers capped a daylong celebration that included a dedication ceremony.

The $7-million center has meeting rooms, an auditorium, a library, a dance floor and a large kitchen that will be used to prepare food for a meals-on-wheels program.

Exercise classes, health seminars and other activities will begin at the center Monday. Wright said that some arts and crafts classes will be offered within a few weeks.

The library’s opening will probably be delayed by a month. It will be stocked with general-interest books as well as many volumes dealing with retirement and careers for senior citizens, Wright said.

Eventually, officials would like to devote a section of the library to Chinese-language books, in recognition of the city’s large Chinese elderly population.

A periodicals section is also planned, but Wright said the center does not currently have the funds to buy newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

The adult day care facility, which will offer medically supervised services to frail and ill seniors, is scheduled to open in July, said Clarence Nedom, chairman of the Irvine Senior Citizens Council.