Senior center reopens with better parking lot, kitchen

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City Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Jay Hart and Senior Services Division Manager Deborah Brogdon talk on the improved patio on the east side of Meadowlark Senior Center. Trees, other plants and shade structures were added. (Rio Rancho ObserverARGEN DUNCAN photo)

Meadowlark Senior Center has a new kitchen, a new parking lot and a new look.

The center reopened Tuesday after being closed for remodeling since June. Senior Services Manager Deborah Brogdon said the renovations have been a priority since 2007.

Weve been like little bulldogs, she said of the persistence it took to get money for the projects.

Construction workers are finishing up landscaping, but city Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department leaders wanted to reopen the center as soon as possible. Department Director Jay Hart said contractors have until the end of the month to finish.

Outside, the deteriorating parking lot was repaved, with extra handicap parking spaces, Brogdon said. The overall number of spaces stayed the same, although a few are blocked off until construction finishes.

The parking lot also has a new drop-off area, which Hart said had already received multiple compliments. It has new underground drainage, so water doesnt run over the pavement, where it might freeze and cause falls, Brogdon said.

Architects designed the improvements to encourage better traffic flow, and Brogdon said the lot exceeds Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

I like it, said senior center member and volunteer Gerald Lewis.

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Senior center reopens with better parking lot, kitchen