As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, Humble City Council included $2 million in the city's fiscal year 2021-22 budget to build a new 10,000-square-foot senior activity center with hopes of completing construction by the first or second quarter of 2023.
The new facility will be built on land already owned by the city, located off South Houston Avenue between the Octavia Fields Branch Library and the city's former senior activity center, which is being demolished to make room for the city's new Fire Station No. 2.
According to Ray Holliday, a principal architect with BRW Architects Inc. who spoke during the Jan. 27 meeting, the company will be working with city officials as well as local seniors to collect input to be incorporated into the center's design. Most recently, the architectural and planning firm completed a senior activity center for the city of Mont Belvieu, Holliday said.
"I'm glad you're all excited; we're excited to be working with you," Holliday said. "I know it's something you've been wanting for a long time, so we'll identify all the wishes and needs, and then we'll put some dollar amounts to that and see where that will go. It's your facility, so we want to incorporate your ideas, [but] we've also got to meet some budgets, so we've got some work to do."
Until the new center is completed, Humble seniors will continue to use space at the Humble Civic Center and the Phillip Cezeaux Recreation Building as they have since programming was reinstated in spring 2021. For more information about senior activity programs in Humble, click here.