Jan. 11—JAMESTOWN — The James River Senior Center and Public Transit expects to move into its new location, the former IDK building, in 2026, said Maureen Wegenke, executive director.
A $2.8 million project is planned at the new location that includes two additions to the building, remodeling the inside and paving the parking lot, she said.
The nonprofit James River Senior Citizens Center Inc. purchased the property in June and is seeking donations and other funding for the project, she said.
“Our goal is not to take out a loan and if we do make it as small as possible is what we’re working towards,” Wegenke said.
She said “generous donations” paid for the purchase of the new location and $1 million has been raised so far for the project.
“We are really excited because I think that’s (the new location) going to increase the numbers of the seniors, we’ll be able to help a lot more people,” Wegenke said.
Currently, James River Senior Center and Public Transit is located in the Legacy Center, which is owned by the University of Jamestown.
“U of J has been nothing but kind to us but we do know that sooner or later they’re going to want our area for classes,” Wegenke said. “So we have been looking for someplace to move to and the IDK building came up for sale ….”
Wegenke said groundbreaking on the project is expected to occur in the spring.
“We’re going to remodel the inside to put offices in there and to expand the kitchen prep area,” she said.
Additions to the building will provide more in-house and community event space and storage, she said.
Wegenke said the size of the new location will be similar to what the center has now but will be more efficient. For example, there’s not enough space at the current site for their Loan Closet, which loans medical equipment to the public such as wheelchairs, walkers, canes, shower chairs, crutches and knee scooters, she said.
Rhonda Sahr, office manager, said there is no room in the Loan Closet for wheelchairs and other large items.
“We could have some of those lift recliners and that kind of stuff but we don’t have anywhere to put them now,” she said.
Sahr said the new location will provide better parking for seniors and the volunteers who help with the home delivered meal routes.
“As far as safety goes, it’s going to be huge (at the new site),” Wegenke added. “We’ve had a couple seniors fall because there’s no place to park so they have to park down (the street) a ways and the curb might be broke and they trip over the curb or it’s icy.”
Another safety issue is that the center’s current dining and exercise areas have carpeting, Wegenke said, which is a cleanliness concern for dining and a tripping hazard for exercise classes.
At the new site, seniors won’t have to walk as far from where their vehicles are parked and is expected to increase attendance at the center for meals, activities and other services, Wegenke said.
James River Senior Center and Public Transit provides about 100 meals daily during the week including home delivered meals and congregate meals in Jamestown, Wegenke said. Frozen meals are available for the weekend.
The organization has meal sites at Medina, Streeter, Fessenden and Harvey, and the site in Harvey also serves Wells and Sheridan counties with home delivered meals, Wegenke said.
In 2024 in Jamestown, James River Senior Center and Public Transit provided 7,548 congregate meals (at Center 1 and Gardenette) and 24,229 home delivered meals. The transit traveled 136,637 miles and made 37,225 trips.
Other services offered at James River Senior Center and Public Transit include legal aid and foot care.
“Our exercise class is overflowing too,” Wegenke said.
The daily exercise class that started with only about five people now has 20 on some days and the space at the current location isn’t quite large enough, Sahr said.
The center hopes to add more services with the new location, Wegenke said, which could include a beauty shop and massage therapy. They said people responding to an online survey indicated they wanted help filing for heating assistance and taxes. Other possible uses of the new location include holding dances for seniors, Sahr said.
They encourage people to fill out the survey on what they’d like to see offered in the new location at
www.jamesriverseniors.com
.
James River Senior Center and Public Transit has space for rent for such events as family get-togethers, birthday parties, anniversaries and church groups, Sahr said, and will continue to provide that in the new location, which will have more space for larger events.
“We know there’s a lack of affordable events space,” Wegenke said.
They are currently using the former IDK building for that as well until the spring, Sahr said.
“We want to be community partners,” Sahr said. “We think that this (new location) is going to be great, not just for the seniors, but for everyone. Another place to rent for parties or whatever.”
James River Senior Center and Public Transit also operates Classic Catering, providing catering in-house and offsite, Wegenke said, including breakfast, lunch and dinner options for large and small groups.
“We do catering for match money for our grants,” she said.
Sahr said Classic Catering is the food provider for Head Start and Early Head Start, which has a combined 80 children.
The transit program is growing, Sahr said, with service in Jamestown, Medina and Harvey. In Jamestown, there are 10 buses with six to seven operating daily and others used for transportation out of town, with scheduled trips to Fargo weekly and twice a month to Bismarck, according to Wegenke.
“It’s for anyone,” Wegenke said of the program. “We take the afterschool kids to The Arts Center and take people to work.”
They also transport children to school and home after school, she said.
Wegenke said the buses will continue to operate from the current location when the new site is ready. They hope to build a garage at some point and move the buses there, she said.
Sahr and Wegenke said the community has been supportive of the new project. James River Senior Center and Public Transit will also participate for the fourth time this year in Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour event for charities in North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.
“We really appreciate all the support we’ve gotten thus far,” Sahr said.
New building fund sponsorships are available in varying levels.
To contribute to the project, donations can be made through the organization’s website at
www.jamesriverseniors.com
or sent to:
James River Senior Center
PO Box 1092
Jamestown ND 58402
For more information, email jrsc@csicable.net.