Bob Bailey Senior Wellness Center Breaks Ground in Central City!

Cabell County Community Services Organization and the City of Huntington held the groundbreaking ceremony in Central City this past Wednesday. The opening of the Bob Bailey Senior Wellness Center will allow various opportunities for seniors and the community.

"These underserved seniors will now have access to a wide variety of activities that revolve around socialization, exercise, and health and wellness in a facility unlike anything we have seen here in the West End," said Brian Chambers, City of Huntington Communications representative.

It Takes A Team to Build a Community

City of Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said in his speech at the ceremony that he had a very close friendship and connection with, who he calls, Coach Bailey. Huntington City Councilman Bob Bailey, and Mayor Williams have been friends for 49 years and Mayor Williams said he knows how much building a senior center meant to Councilman Bailey. "[Councilman Bailey] has been talking about this senior center for several years," said Mayor Williams. "When he decided to run for City Council, the first thing he said to me was, 'Mayor, we need to build a senior center down in the West End,' and that was something I took note of right then and he's had that a part of his agenda since the beginning."

Meeting a Clear Need

Other Councilmembers in attendance who supported this project were Councilman Todd Sweeney, Councilwoman Sarah Walling, Councilwoman Teresa Johnson, and Councilman DuRon Jackson. Proceeds of $1.5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act support this project, and Mayor Williams gave a special thank you to Senator Joe Manchin, who worked to secure this funding for our State. Mayor Williams said the opening of the Bob Bailey Senior Wellness Center meets a clear need. There is a significant gap between the nearest senior centers which are located in Ceredo and Downtown Huntington. Mayor Williams said the opening of this senior center is important as it allows our seniors to serve the community. "Bob Bailey never, ever turned his back on seniors," said Mayor Williams, "The reality is that everything we do in our public life somehow gets connected to our families.

Councilman Bob Bailey said this project is very important to him. "The Senior Wellness Center is a place for our seniors in Westmorland, West End, or anywhere that a senior wants to come, we will have a place for them. This center will offer exercise programs for our seniors. We'll also have a lot of social programs for our seniors. We're going to have a doctor come in about once or twice a week, and if there's a problem, these doctors can make recommendations to help our seniors." Councilman Bailey thanked many people who helped make this a reality. He was more than happy to call everyone who supported the project to grab a golden shovel and break the ground on the future of the West End.

A Great Day for Huntington

This ceremony was a "great day for Cabell County and Huntington," said Irv Johnson, Cabell County Assessor. See pictures of the groundbreaking ceremony below as well as images of the design of the Bob Bailey Senior Center provided by Ed Tucker Architecture, the designers of this project.

Click an image below to display the larger version.