Future of Nipomo Senior Center uncertain due to declining membership
NIPOMO, Calif. - The future of the Nipomo Senior Center is unclear due to a declining membership with the seniors organization that manages the facility.
For 50 years, the Nipomo Area Senior Citizens Club has served a valuable role in the community, holding a number of programs, events, meetings and other gatherings in the San Luis Obispo County-owned facility.
"We gather here to provide a place for the seniors to meet friends and play games and stay active and do the exercises," said Nipomo Senior Center Secretary Donna Johnson "I think very important to have the Senior Center. It's healthy for the people. It's healthy for the rest of the town because the healthier that we are, the more involved we are with the town and community spirit grows."
Membership has been on a steady decline, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving numbers so low board members are worried about the center's long-range prospects.
“It's scary," said Nipomo Senior Center Second Vice President Merodie Nelson. "We need more people involved in it. Our membership dropped off really badly during Covid, and most of those people got in the habit of staying home rather than coming down here.”
Currently, membership is only at few dozen, with only a small portion of the members taking active participants in the group events.
“The less people that we have and the less members that we have, then it's a possibility that the senior center might have to close," said Johnson. "If we close, that would be a shame for that community.”
San Luis Obispo County 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding has been actively working to find solutions for the Nipomo Senior Center.
Paulding is hoping to meet with the Senior Center board of directors soon to discuss ways to boost membership and provide options to help improve the group's long range viability.
"While membership at the Nipomo Senior Center decreased during the pandemic and has not yet rebounded, I’m confident that the demand for these services is strong, and I remain optimistic that raising awareness about the vital services the Center offers will help restore membership levels," Paulding said in a statement. "My office is fully committed to collaborating with the Center to achieve this goal, and I look forward to meeting with board members and current members later this month to brainstorm strategies for increasing participation."
