Back in June, local seniors received good news, with senior centers expected to begin reopening that month. Then, issues preparing centers against COVID-19 pushed the plan back to July.
Now, there’s no clear reopening date for Lewis County Seniors’ six sites.
Evaluations of the centers — by local Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Consultants (IPAC) — revealed black mold in the Toledo center’s kitchen and a separating wall in the Twin Cities center. Plus, nonprofit Lewis County Seniors is struggling to obtain bids for deep cleaning and HVAC improvements.
“Our reopening plan went out the door once we saw the report from IPAC,” Executive Director Glenda Forga said Tuesday. In terms of reopening, “quite frankly, I don’t have a good, clear, concise answer, because we need buildings fixed.”
In the Twin Cities center, ceiling tiles impacted by the shifting wall are falling to the floor.
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable seating anyone in that room for fear of something coming down and hitting them on the head,” Forga said.
While some senior centers could go forward with outdoor activities, others — like Toledo’s — can’t, according to Lewis County Seniors leadership. That’s because clients would need access to the building — where black mold is unresolved — for amenities.
And as of this month, the nonprofit says it’s a priority to open up all centers at the same time. To some extent, that’s to avoid a sense of unfairness that would arise from rivalry and competition that exists from center to center.
The anger that would bubble up from an uneven, center-by-center reopening, President Ron Averill noted, may be greater than that sparked by a delayed reopening of all sites.
Lewis County Seniors’ Forga and Nora Davis pointed to the Winlock and Toledo centers specifically, and the towns’ historic and bitter “Battle of the Cowlitz” rivalry that Forga said in the past led to literal fires.
While seniors are still clamoring to get back to normal, outrage from some vocal seniors over a delayed reopening has somewhat died down. With centers closed, many are finding alternative meeting locations, including local granges. Those tend to be smaller get-togethers, Forga noted, which means less risk of COVID-19 infection.
It also means no liability for Lewis County Seniors. An outbreak at a center — which can hold around 100 people — “would take us under,” Forga said.
“There’s really nothing we can do except hurry up and wait,” she added.
Lewis County Seniors is still delivering emergency meals to hundreds of seniors and hopes to retain the homebound program after the pandemic.
