Community Center gets extreme makeover
As Whitefish goes, so goes the
Whitefish Community Center.
“Whitefish is evolving in new ways and
we’re trying to evolve with it,” said Jody Fee, community center
trustee.
Last year the center changed its name
from the Whitefish Golden Agers to the Whitefish Community Center.
It continues to add new programs and work to attract new members of
any age. The most recent effort towards the change is an update of
the interior of the building, including new furniture and a fresh
coat of paint.
It’s all part of a new direction for
the center, said Fee. Many of the members have been coming to the
center for a long time and others have recently moved to town.
“We’re kind of developing,” she said.
“It’s no longer just an older persons’ place. There’s a lot of
older people still here, but we want to encourage those who
wouldn’t think about coming to come.”
The revamp of the interior was
completed this winter. New chairs and couches were brought in
before, but now tables, rugs and flower arrangements have been
added to complete the look. The items were obtained through a
combination of donation and purchase by the center.
Wright’s Furniture assisted with
redecorating. Frank Wright, Judy Rowland and Kris Shiesl and the
Wright’s delivery team participated.
Conversation areas with comfy couches
and chairs were created to encourage folks to sit and chat.
Photographs depicting old Whitefish from the Stumptown Historical
Society were also hung on the walls.
Fee said their expertise was
invaluable.
“They helped us move around the
furniture and make it more inviting,” Fee. “The little things make
a huge difference.”
Rowland agreed that the goal was to
make the center have a welcoming atmosphere.
“We wanted to simplify the space,” she
said. “We wanted it to be more functional and have an updated
look.”
The walls in the center, including the
kitchen, received a fresh coat of paint. Mark Anderson with Western
Building Center assisted with the new paint. The stark white walls
have been replaced by warm neutrals.
The center is available as a rental
space, as well.
Fee said the center has been rented for
wedding receptions and is ideal for events because it has a full
kitchen.
All of the visual changes compliment
the other changes happening at the center.
The center continues its senior
exercise classes, but has also added a new yoga class, which is
open to anyone. The center continues to provide daily lunches and
disperse Whitefish Meals-On-Wheels deliveries at the center, but is
now offering free coffee and wireless Internet at the center from
9:30 to 11 a.m. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
weekdays.
The center is also hosting free monthly
historical talks with Walter Sayre of Stumptown Historical
Society.