New Senior & Scout Center To Bring Generations Together

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —As we emerge from the darkness of COVID-induced isolation, the need for safe places for seniors and youth to get out of their homes and away from their screens is more critical than ever.

This is why Friends of Senior & Scout Community Center is dedicated to raising funds to build a new and improved Senior and Scout Community Center in downtown Manhattan Beach.

The new center will add much-needed space to gather, learn, create, and socialize. Community center-based meetings, activities, and events will contribute to the re-building of the social-emotional health of the whole community.

"Our design has been completed, and we are getting ready to submit our application for coastal and environmental review," Beth Gessner, Vice-Chairperson, Friends of Senior & Scout Community Center told Patch.

Rundown and beyond its useful life, the 68-year old Scout House no longer accommodates the needs of local scouts and seniors. The facility lacks adequate bathrooms, kitchen facilities, storage, and modern connectivity.

According to Gessner, the new facility will be a two-story, 7,000 square foot facility to include multiple meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen, and plenty of storage. The outdoor courtyard will expand the usable space and will feature amphitheater-style seating, a fire pit, and a BBQ area.

Currently, there is a dedicated space at the Joslyn Center where seniors utilize the space during the day and scouts come in after school and in the evenings.

"Our goal is to raise $3.5 million," Gessner said. "So far, the city has contributed $1 million, and we have raised an additional $1.8. We still need $700,000 at this point."

Mayor Suzanne Hadley has joined the fundraising committee and is committed to making the center a reality. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for MB to build shared gathering spaces," she told Patch. "The 7,000-square-foot Community Center will provide much-needed spaces where our residents can brainstorm and build, collaborate and celebrate. This includes our active seniors (MB's fastest-growing demographic), to our busy students and scouts, and all ages in between. The Community Center will be open and available to all."

"We next hope to turn to local businesses for support," Glessner said.

Once all approvals are received, Glessner hopes to go out for bids in early 2022.

"We learned during the pandemic that social isolation can be as deadly as a virus," Hadley said. "Our new shared spaces will bring our community together, once again, in person. Nobel Laureate Albert Schweitzer once said, 'All true living takes place face to face.' After our long year of a pandemic, the MB Community Center will allow us many more opportunities to do just that. Let's get this done together."