Seniors enjoy recreation center

Daria A. Snadowsky

Monday, May 18, 1998 | 9:45 a.m.

If the reaction of this weekend's crowd is any indication, the new West Flamingo Senior Center is a big hit.

"This facility is great for people who are alone," said Georgina Zellei, a 71-year-old widowed resident of Spring Valley.

Her friend, Nancy DeJong, 67, also a widow, agreed, adding she is especially looking forward to the line-dancing activities because participants don't necessarily need a partner -- everybody dances with everybody.

"All the other centers are far away from here," Zellei said. "This one is a perfect location for us. It is so easy and convenient. The area is safe and the streets are never congested."

Zellei and DeJong were just two of the hundreds of lively seniors who attended Saturday's dedication of the senior center at 6255 W. Flamingo Road.

The center officially opens June 1. Hours will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no membership fee.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., one of the many speakers at the dedication ceremony, stressed the money taxpayers had put into the system throughout their working years was being returned to them now that they are seniors.

The center is located on 13 1/2 acres that include a grassy park. The 6,000-square-foot facility was developed through $800,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds and $300,000 from the Clark County general fund.

Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny, also on hand Saturday, lamented that her own mother had not lived to enjoy retirement. But she said she hopes her father, who retired to Las Vegas from Chicago, would become a frequent user of the facility.

Karl Parker, 85, a prospective user of the center, praised Kenny for her work in securing the center.

"There is no one more enthusiastic than her," he said. "I feel better about paying taxes. Our dollars are being returned to us in a constructive manner. I also think that this center will permeate all age groups and create more civic responsibility on the part of general public."

The new center will offer classes at minimal cost in dance, exercise, nutrition, ceramics, oil painting and computers. Board games and theater will also be offered.

Recreation specialist Marvin Richardson said he wants to create a nice, enjoyable atmosphere.

The goal of the center is for seniors to have fun but also to learn and share life experiences, to create a healthy environment, to live longer, stay out of care facilities, and participate more fully in community life, Richardson said.

"This is your facility," Raymond Lucchesi, of Lucchesi, Galati Architects Inc., which designed the center, said to the seniors.

Anthony Young, the principal architect, said he tried to create a sophisticated look to acknowledge everything the seniors had given to the community.

"We tried to show it with the colors and the materials, the spaces, and the relationship to the park itself," Young said.