Skip to content

Seniors’ centre receive big upgrade

New windows will keep them warm and dry
19786581_web1_NewWindowsWeb
Kitimat Senior Citizens Association vice president and president, Pauline Morgan and Ray Taylor (far left and far right), with Leisure Services director Martin Gould and Seniors’ Centre programmer Amelia Pozsgay at one of the 17 new windows. (Photo Gerry Leibel)

Thanks to a new set of windows the seniors at the Snowflake Seniors’ Centre will have warmer, drier winters from now on.

The installation of 17 new vinyl-framed sliding windows at a cost of nearly $21,000 was made possible in part by a grant from the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP), which paid for nearly $17,000 of the total cost.

The NHSP provides grants and contributions funding for projects that make a difference in the lives of seniors and in their communities, particularly when it comes to enhancing seniors’ social well-being and community vitality.

District of Kitimat Leisure Services director Martin Gould said the project to replace the old sliding metal-framed windows stemmed out of a 2015 building assessment survey that found the windows in the Seniors’ Centre needed to be replaced.

“The Seniors Centre facility was built in 1957. Like much of the infrastructure of our aging town the building is in need of updating for continued use by the seniors,” said Gould.

The old windows, installed back in 1986, needed to replaced for energy efficiency purposes and because replacement parts were becoming very difficult to find to repair them. The paint on the wood framing surrounding the old windows was also starting to peel off.

“The District of Kitimat believed that the replacement of the old windows was imperative for keeping the facility operational for the multiple senior activities that are provided by the Senior Association for the seniors,” said Gould.

“The Centre is a foundation for the many activities and social programs that are operated by the Kitimat Senior Association.”

He said the replacement of the windows formed part of the DoK’s strategy to avoid deterioration of its building so that it could continue to be used as a social gathering hub for Kitimat seniors.

Having an energy-efficient building will also ensure lower heating and cooling bills for the Senior Association.

”The District of Kitimat understands the importance of supporting social participation and inclusion of seniors throughout the community, which is especially crucial during the long, cold Kitimat winters,” said Gould.

“The centre provides our seniors with a secure, well-maintained home base that provides for the ongoing active living programs that address social challenges and improve the overall well-being of senior community members.”

The Kitimat Senior Association currently has 400 members who access programming at the Seniors’ Centre.

Visit our Facebook page

Follow us on Twitter

Typos? Email the editor!