Seniors in Montgomery County will soon have a new, dedicated facility for activities and communal dining at a location off Pruitt Road near I-45, Precinct 3 Commissioner Ritch Wheeler announced July 23.
The center will provide room for senior activities and dining, which is currently held at the Kevin Brady Community Center and Library that opened last September.
Since many events, such as voting in local elections, are held at the Kevin Brady Community Center, there are sometimes scheduling conflicts and challenges at the current center, Wheeler said.
"We realized the physical space was just being utilized by so many different groups," Wheeler said. "We don’t want to say no to anybody ... it's a great community center, everyone loves it and everyone wants to use it, [but] it wasn’t giving the seniors their own space."
What to expect
The estimated cost to build the facility is $420,000 from the ground up, with a tentative completion date in spring 2027, Wheeler told Community Impact. The building will be funded from the Precinct 3 budget.
Situated on county land not far from the Precinct 3 building, it will be 8,000 square feet in size and will include several rooms, a kitchen and dining area to seat 250 people and provide hot meals at lunchtime.
"It wasn’t that we weren’t meeting those needs, but we will do a better job and be more consistent," Wheeler said.
The facility will have access to green space and a porch as well as a place where people can be dropped off during inclement weather, he said.
The new senior center will be central to Precinct 3 and closer to I-45 than the current community center, which may also improve access for those in other parts of the county, Wheeler said.
"We should be able to accommodate seniors from the entire precinct," he said.
The most recent five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Community Survey, which tracks populations for various age demographics, show the Montgomery County population of those age 60 and over was 137,047 in 2024, up from 105,524 in 2019—an increase of almost 30%. Meanwhile, overall county population increased by just under 20%. The percent of the population that is 60 and over has increased from 18.45% of the county to just over 20%.
"We want to make sure we have room for growth," Wheeler said.
What's next
While the center will be located in Precinct 3, any seniors in Montgomery County are welcome at the center, Wheeler said.
"I'm excited about the whole thing," Wheeler said, "I'm excited about the fact that they'll have their own space. ... It will provide a sense of community; I think it will attract a larger population of seniors."
Missy Herndon, president & CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands said she's excited for the future and for the community to spend all of their days together.
"We're really excited about it and our teams are already thinking about all kinds of fun things that can happen when we get over there," Herndon said.
