A $3 million revamp of the West Oakland Senior Center means the facility is temporarily closed and activities are being moved elsewhere, city officials said.
The center at 1724 Adeline St. closed Friday to make way for the upgrades. With just construction set to cost $2.2 million, the project is slated to install HVAC and security cameras and bolster signage, accessibility for disabled patrons and perimeter fencing and gates, among other improvements.
The city expects the project to last between nine months and one year, Oakland spokesperson Sean Maher said Tuesday. In the meantime, most center activities will move to the North Oakland Senior Center at 5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, where current members of the West Oakland center are welcome to a $12 annual membership free of charge.
The increase in security comes after several break-ins and illegal camping around the center spurred concerns surrounding senior safety, Maher said.
Though the Capital Improvement Program project was approved in 2019, it has only just now broken ground. While the majority of such projects take only two to three years to break ground after approval, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed many projects in Oakland, Maher said.
In addition to the North Oakland center, the two other Oakland senior centers in Downtown and East Oakland will remain open at their normal hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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