From one room to endless possibilities: Kalamazoo’s new Ecumenical Senior Center is taking shape

Editor’s Note: Aging Matters is a series that examines programs, issues, and solutions that impact today’s seniors. This series is sponsored by Milestone Senior Services.

A new building for Kalamazoo’s Ecumenical Senior Center (ESC), expected to open next March, is part of a transformation of an area of the Northside.

The building at 702 N. Burdick St. is in the same block as two new apartment buildings that will provide a total of 70 units of affordable housing for people 55 and older.  

“It’s really transformed the whole neighborhood,” says Tim Barnes, executive director of Ecumenical Senior Center, a nonprofit organization that provides free daily activities and lunches for people 60 and older.

The center’s new building is on the corner lot at Burdick and E. North streets, where its old building had housed the center since 1992. That building had one story measuring 4,000 square feet. The new building has two stories, each measuring 8,000 square feet, thus quadrupling the center’s space.

The building was designed by Abonmarche Byce, and the construction manager is Kalamazoo-based AVB. These two companies also designed and built the nearby apartment buildings, so the development of the block has a cohesive look.

“Things are going really well. I’m very pleased,” says Barnes. “I’m anticipating that once the building’s there, the number of participants and everything are going to change dramatically.

“We are kind of a day center where people come and just hang out, and we do lots of activities. We see about 40 people a day on a regular day.  If we do an activity, we probably are closer to 50, and if we have an event like a holiday dinner, we’re at 100. In the new building we’re hoping we can accommodate 200 people in a sit-down meal program.”

Barnes notes that the old center basically was one large room “and so every time we did something we’d all have to move together, and there was no privacy and nowhere for storage.” The new building will have breakout rooms and ample space for several activities to take place simultaneously. It will also have comfort features such as a kitchen, laundry, two fireplaces, and an outdoor patio.

“From the beginning, we got the seniors involved with the design,” says Barnes. “They prioritized what they wanted to see. We’ve said all along we want to build this with and for the seniors.”

To keep ESC operating during construction, in January 2025 it moved temporarily into a large space at Milestone Senior Services, 918 Jasper St. “It’s really been a nice fit,” Barnes says. “I think it’s fun for them to have the liveliness of seniors and the energy and the noise, so it’s really been a win-win. We’re working really well together.”

ESC operates several small buses to transport people to Milestone.

Planning for a new ESC building began several years ago when the estimated cost was around $4 million. Now the cost is over $8 million.

“It’s amazing how we’ve gotten enough to fund the whole thing,” Barnes says. “We got major grants from the Stryker Johnston Foundation, Gilmore Foundation, and Kalamazoo Community Foundation. All the major players have their stamp on this.”

He also notes that $1 million is coming from a recently approved state budget, thanks to legislators representing this district.

Looking ahead, Barnes asks, “Once you have the building, how are you paying for the added utilities and staff and everything else?  We’ve been fortunate to have some really solid general operating funding that came through. We’re feeling fortunate that the community has really gotten behind this and we’re going to be in good shape.”  

He cites a humorous event that shows community support.  “We sent out a message that we needed turkeys to give away for Thanksgiving, and we were inundated. They were dropping them off at the door,” he says.

Barnes is surprised that the number of people who use ESC while it’s housed at Milestone has increased slightly. These include people who need extra help, people with mobility challenges, unhoused people, and people with cognitive awareness challenges.  

“One thing they all have in common is they’re over 60, and for us, working in partnership with Milestone, it feels like we’re keeping people active as long as we possibly can. That’s been our greatest success over the last year and a half, and I’m really proud of that and to be able to continue that into the new facility,” he says.

He describes a popular ESC program that is mostly funded by Kalamazoo County’s Senior Millage, which is a small property tax levy.  “We provide rides to appointments — doctor, physical therapy, that type of stuff at no cost. We’re driving all over the county picking people up. That program is our largest and fastest growing.”  

ESC has two 13-passenger buses and uses another small bus provided by Metro bus service plus another from Metro for the two busiest days during a week.

A person who has enjoyed activities at Ecumenical Senior Center for 10 years is Kalamazoo resident Laticia Belue, 71. “I’m anticipating and can’t wait for the opening,” she says about the new building.

“I like the Bible study, the bingo, and the outings that we take. We go to the Gun Lake Casino. Once in a while we go out to eat. We just came back from Saugatuck; we went out for the day, and that was fun. 

“We’re like a family. Nothing could keep me away from the center,” Belue says. “When I first started, I would go maybe two or three days a week, and now whatever I need to do at home, it waits while I come here. This place is a blessing.”