Both the Moose Jaw & District Seniors Association and the Cosmo Senior Citizens Centre are relieved to reopen their doors on June 7, after several long months of being closed to the public once again.
Both venues closed voluntarily in early December after pandemic concerns spiked and restrictions in southern Saskatchewan tightened further.
But with the announcement of Phase One of the province’s reopening plan commencing on May 30, some limited activities and services are back on the menu for Moose Jaw’s seniors beginning next week.
Timothy Eaton Gardens will be reopening, including all the main floor services from the Seniors Association and Timothy Eaton Cafe. The fitness centre downstairs will be open by appointment and the building’s halls will once again be available to rent.
The only Seniors Association activities resuming at this time will be the art classes, while the pool tables on the main floor will be open for use. Other regular activities will hopefully be resuming soon.
“We’re very excited for this grand reopening because we have re-done the entire centre and upgraded it,” said Tracy Duncan, acting general manager for the Seniors Association.
Duncan revealed that the staff at the Seniors Association have been hard at work while Timothy Eaton Gardens has been closed to the public, renovating the main floor and fitness centre with new flooring, paint and fitness equipment.
“Everybody who has been here before will be surprised [to see it] and if you haven’t been here, come have a look,” said Duncan.
The Seniors Association is also going to be launching a new resource centre by the end of June, which Duncan said will be a great new addition to the supports offered to local seniors.
“Any questions you may have about seniors in the community, what we have to offer in Moose Jaw or who to contact to get that information, we can direct you,” said Duncan.
Duncan said the resource centre will be offering information and answers to any questions seniors may have about local resources available in the city, including things like housing, transportation, recreation opportunities, and services for seniors. Once launched, the centre can be reached by phone at 1 (306) 972-2230.
Duncan also shared that the Seniors Association is lowering its annual membership cost to $20 for regular and $30 for enhanced for right now, as the centre has only been open for a total of three months due to the pandemic.
“(We felt) it’s only fair to lower the membership until the end of the year,” said Duncan. “And we can’t wait for restrictions to be lifted a little bit more so we can get back to the norm here.”
At the Cosmo Senior Citizens, select activities will be returning with gusto, according to an announcement on social media.
Weekly shuffleboard and pickleball sessions will begin as early as June 7, and the centre will be hosting a line-dancing event on June 10 with a limit of 30 participants.
Until further notice, card tournaments, jam sessions and dances are still on hold, but the Cosmo will be switching from pickup to an in-house format for its upcoming barbecue event on June 24.
A representative from the Cosmo Centre was unavailable for comment at the time of publishing, but more information about upcoming events will be shared on Facebook and in the Moose Jaw Express.
