Last week, The Clarkston News took a look at the condition or ‘quality? of the actually senior center building. We reported on the building’s continued deterioration and many repairs.
This week in the third article of a series discussing the proposal for a new senior center building and operational millage, we review the many uses of the center and the Carriage House.
Although the Carriage House was not listed in last week’s article, the structure is under continuous repair, according to both Senior Center Director Margaret Bartos and Independence Township Building Director David Belcher. Since the structure is commonly used for senior center activities, the Carriage House will be referred to in this article.
All information in this article was provided by Margaret Bartos, who does the scheduling for the two buildings.

The primary senior center building, a two-story farmhouse, can handle 25 people in the dining room and rectangular kitchen area.
In addition to this space, the building also has a small reception office with seating for two; a sitting room with two tables, chairs and a couch; and a pool table room/library with one pool table, book shelves and one computer station.
On the second floor, the home’s original bedrooms are converted into four offices: two for Youth Assistance; one for the senior center coordinator and one shared by the homechore manager, outreach coordinator and two programmers.
In the basement there are two rooms: one room used for ceramics and the other storage.
Across the senior center’s main driveway is the Carriage House, a 20 by 70 foot single room that accommodates 72 people seated. The area also has a small storage area.
During the day, senior center programs dominate the main building: site meals are made, prep is done for homebound meals, cards, crafts, ceramics, singing, games and some health programs. Many of these activities are held in the dining hall, which is also the primary entrance for the building.
‘The meal delivery and volunteer drivers are in and out, people come in to sign up for programs or gather for trips, young people and their parents come in to find Youth Assistance offices, and the daily participants chat, work crossword puzzles and read or knit there,? said Bartos.
For those seniors who require a confidential appointment at the center, Bartos said either a trip up the steep staircase is required or one of the larger first-floor rooms must be closed. Many seniors find the steps difficult to navigate.
‘There is no space for confidential meetings because the two back rooms are open,? explained Bartos. ‘The healing touch nurse often hangs a sign on a chair at the entrance to the pool room that says, ‘Please Do Not Enter? so she can work in the corner out of sight. It is not unusual for someone to come in to select a book or use the computer while a meeting is being held.?
For large daytime programs, senior center staff utilize the Carriage House ? and transport everything for the event from the main structure to the side building.
According to Bartos, some common programs at the Carriage House include a weekly band practice (4-10 players), bingo (18-40 players), Stretch and Stretch (12-15 participants) and a bi-monthly bridge tournament (around 28 players). Parties, theme dinners and speakers are scheduled around the other programs.
‘Seniors often are reluctant to leave the main building in inclement weather to go to the Carriage House for a party or activity,? said Bartos.
Bartos said evenings and weekends are often a scheduling nightmare at the center. Common senior programs include a monthly spaghetti dinner (40-75 attendees), grief counseling sessions (6-20 participants) and seasonal parties.
‘Other groups dominate the center in the evenings and on weekends,? said Bartos. ‘Non-profit groups meet in the senior center or Carriage House depending on the availability of space.?
Some of the groups using the senior center and Carriage House, in addition to Youth Assistance, are Independence Township Parks and Recreation, Christ Shephard Church (recent past), the Clarkston Lions Club and Clarkston Chiefs. Bartos said the center rents the space in order to help pay for senior programming.
‘Courtesy Driving School rents the Carriage House almost daily during the summer in the evenings with up to 40 students. This rental is a large source of income for the center,? explained Bartos.
In March of this year, the senior center and Carriage House were used by groups for a total of 425.5 hours. Senior programs dominated the space 47 percent of that time. The remaining 53 percent is broken down as follows: 34.55 percent Parks and Recreation, 15.39 percent Youth Assistance and 3.06 percent other groups or parties.
‘Due to a lack of space or space limitations, some senior programs take place in other locations,? said Bartos.
Examples are the Tai Chi class, Strength and Stretch, Body Recall, Project Healthy Living and Volleyball. Some of the facilities being rented or donated include St. Daniel’s Catholic Church, Calvary Lutheran Church, First Congregational Church and Bay Court Park.
‘These churches have been very generous in lending space and time for senior programs. Other churches have offered space, but they are usually too heavily booked,? explained Bartos. ‘The township library includes a large meeting room, but only for one-time events, not weekly or monthly programs.
‘Community groups have called the senior center for years looking for space for meetings or events.?
Bartos added the senior center is struggling monthly to schedule existing programs with new ones in the limited space. Bartos said many programs are lost due to space constraints.

Look in next week’s edition of The Clarkston News where the history of millages involving the senior center and related programs are explored.