When the remodeling is done, Bend’s growing senior population will have just what it needs: a new place to hang out, eat lunch and take advantage of a variety of services. The Council on Aging of Central Oregon’s senior center is moving back home early next year, to its former location at 1036 NE Fifth Street.

The building is the former home of Bend’s Community Center.

One critical advantage of the new location is that it is five times the size of the old. The building is also getting a commercial kitchen, likely bringing an end to an era of sack lunches. The kitchen location will enable the Council on Aging to offer meals five days a week, as it does in Redmond and Prineville. That’s all in addition to the important opportunity to socialize and fun of playing games.

The senior center was originally operated by United Senior Citizens of Bend. Those roots can be traced back to the NE Fifth Street location at least as far back as 1980. It later moved to a new building at what is now Larkspur Park.

The Council on Aging has carried on the important responsibility of providing a great place for seniors. It’s excellent news for the men and women who take advantage of what the senior center has to offer.