Ankeny City And Polk County Board of Supervisors Break Ground On New Senior Community Center

Press release from the City of Ankeny:

September 14, 2020

The City of Ankeny and the Polk County Board of Supervisors broke ground today on a new senior community center in the city of Ankeny. The new facility will be built on the Ankeny City campus next to the Fire Station Headquarters on NW Ash Street.

With a focus on seniors, the new senior community center will offer a large community center, classrooms, indoor walking track, pickleball courts, golf/sports simulator, exercise area and raised shuffle boards. Polk County will use the facility to provide senior services consistent with its other metropolitan area facilities including daily meals, health screenings, wellness and recreational opportunities and other senior-oriented services. The City will offer programming at the center on the evenings and weekends for residents of all ages. The walking track and amenities on the second floor will be available to Ankeny residents whenever the facility is open.

Polk County Supervisor Steve Van Oort said “Polk County is thrilled to be able to continue providing senior meals in a new facility that will be able to offer Ankeny residents so much more beyond the meals. We know that providing meals to seniors is critical to their health and well-being, but being able to offer them opportunities to engage with their peers and access activities is equally important for their quality of life.”

“The City of Ankeny is excited to collaborate with Polk County on this new facility. Working together allows us to build a community center that can function on a greater scale and save taxpayers money,” said Ankeny Mayor Gary Lorenz. “Our residents will benefit with Polk County’s expertise in senior services, while having a larger first-class facility that would not be possible if either entity built it on its own.”

As part of the agreement, Polk County will contribute $3.5 million towards the construction of the facility and the City of Ankeny will be responsible for the balance of the project’s costs. The City will own and maintain the building. Construction costs for the building are estimated at $5.9 million and total project costs are estimated at $7.4 million. The partnership is a 50-year agreement between the City and Polk County and is the first of its kind in greater Des Moines.

Shive-Hattery is the architect for the new community center and Rochon Corporation of Iowa is the contractor. Construction of the two-story, 39,000 square foot building is expected to be completed in late 2021.

This press release was produced by the City of Ankeny. The views expressed here are the author’s own.