St. Charles Parish breaks ground on new site for Council on Aging

St. Charles Parish Council on Aging is one big step closer to stepping into their new, upgraded administration building and senior center, as last week brought groundbreaking on the project.

Several St. Charles Parish representatives, including Parish President Matt Jewell, were on hand at the new site located at 282 Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway. The new building will provide 11,943 square feet of space, housing the COA’s administration office, transportation department, home delivered meal site and senior activity center.

“This is going to be a great new addition for the Council on Aging, centrally located in the parish and a much better facility toward their mission of taking care of our seniors,” Jewell said. “Giving them activities to do during the day … and what better place than right next door to the community center.”

Jewell said he sees the COA site and Edward Dufresne Community Center as complementary to one another in terms of hosting future events for older parish residents.

He said upgrading facilities for the council was important because parish seniors rely on several of its services, including meals on wheels, in which hot meals are delivered to qualified homebound residents on Monday thru Friday during the week.

The activity center serves as a community focal point for residents age 60 and above. The Council on Aging also promotes health information and activities for residents and also offers light homemaking and caregiving services. Transportation services are available Monday thru Friday to banks, medical facilities and post offices as well as to pay bills and take care of other personal business. Transportation to the activity center is available as well.

“It’s so important that we’re able to do this, in conjunction with our RSVP program next door at the community center … I think it’s a great, great symbiotic relationship for our residents and our seniors,” Jewell said.

The new center is the latest parish entity to make headquarters on Edward Dufresne Parkway, joining the St. Charles Parish School Board, Sheriff’s Office, Community Center, Lafon Performing Arts Center and R.K. Smith Middle School among notable sites along that route.

“Dufrene Parkway is really starting to take shape,” Jewell said. “A little further down, we have our industrial folks … so we’re looking forward to this whole area continuing to develop.”

 

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