Mid-Columbia Senior Center pushing ahead, holding craft fair

Mid-Columbia Senior Center Board Member Jess Birge gets a little time on the flooring at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center this morning, Friday, June 4. The Board is pushing ahead with improvements until they can open the doors.

A message from Senior Center Board Chair Corliss Marsh:

Corliss Marsh, Mid-Columbia Senior Center Board Chair

Dear Senior Center supporters,

I just wanted to send you a note to let you know what’s going on behind the scenes at The Center. The Board has been working hard to ensure that The Center will still be in operation when we are able to open again.

Did you know that according to OHA guidelines, Senior Centers and hookah bars are not allowed to be open no matter what the county risk level? I’m still trying to figure out what Senior Centers and hookah bars have in common.

During this time of shut down, the Board has come up with a list of facility improvement projects that are easier done now without our busy people traffic when The Center opens up.

The top 3 projects are:

1. Re-paving and re-striping the parking lot -- that’s 34,022 square feet.

Scott McKay at the Mid Columbia Senior Center shows off a quilt that is being raffled. It and others that will be for sale at the Vendor, Craft & Flea Market set for Saturday, June 5.

2. Re-do the basement floor. Right now, it’s half linoleum and half cement. We would like to have one cohesive floor. The room is used by the quilters, exercise classes, gun safety
classes, rental activities, etc.

This quilt is also up for grabs in the raffle.

3. Replace our storage shed that is outside in the southeast corner. The current shed is falling down. We need a shed that is waterproof and secure to store extra equipment that is used occasionally. There is no room in our facility to do that.

This all takes money. This year’s budgeted improvement funds went to an improved security system, repairing steps to the parking lot from Cherry Heights Road and plumbing/irrigation issues. One of our major sources of income was BINGO which was completely shut down. Luckily, our NU-2-U shop was able to open back up with limited hours and we did a major fundraising campaign in 2020 to cover normal expenses. Thank you all that donated! Scott McKay has applied for several PPP loans that were available in our category.

So, onto FY 2021-22, we’re kicking off our fundraising campaign with a Vendor, Craft & Flea Market Event on June 5th from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. So, come on down to The Center where we will have a variety of vendor booths selling their wares. The Center's quilters will also be selling quilts, aprons, books, puzzles and gift items, and the NU-2-U shop will have some bargains! There will also be a food vendor, so if you like tasty food, Lilo's Hawaiian Bbq will be there!

What money is raised is just the beginning of the fund. It will no way cover the cost of re-doing the
parking lot -- close to $20,000. We’d like to raise enough to also do the basement floor and replace the shed. With everyone’s help, we can do it.

In a few weeks, membership notices will be going out for 2021-22. Please add your donation to your dues or send in a donation now. Our address is 1112 E. 9 th Street, The Dalles, OR 97058. Or go to our
website and donate through our PayPal account.
http://www.midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com
Same deal as with our 2020 campaign, a board member will match the first $5,000 in donations.

We look forward to opening up again in September (we hope) with our full complement of programs and BINGO in our building with new basement floors and a new-looking parking lot.

Thanks for your attention,

Corliss Marsh
Board Chair