Macon-Bibb County will celebrate the construction of its new senior center with a ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, August 3, at 9:30 a.m. The new center will be located in Central City Park on Willie Smokie Glover Drive and will be named the Elaine Lucas Senior Center after Macon-Bibb County’s District 3 – and first female – Commissioner. The groundbreaking ceremony will streamed live on the Macon-Bibb County Facebook page.

“Our senior citizens paved the way for the good community work that we do, and they deserve a new Center where they can come together, take classes, and lead a healthier lifestyle,” says Commissioner Lucas. “This day has been a long time coming, and I want to thank the Senior Center Advisory Committee for working with us on its location and design.”

Construction of the new Elaine Lucas Senior Center is being funded by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) and sale of the property where the current Center is located. The total budget for the project was $2.7 million, and construction will be led by Warren Associates, Inc. and will cost $2,229,000.

The new Center is part of a much larger revitalization for Central City Park, which recently underwent its first phase of improvements using funds from the current SPLOST. There are additional funds allocated for the next phase of those improvements, as well as for extensive upgrades to Historic Luther Williams Field to prepare it for a new baseball team to use beginning next summer. Between the Center, Park, and Field projects, Central City Park is receiving an approximately $15 million investment from the SPLOST.

The Elaine Lucas Senior Center location and design was made after three initial public meetings led by the Sizemore Group and follow-up meetings and input sessions with the Senior Center Advisory Committee.