The Warren Senior Center will be moving to new facilities at Allegheny Point.

Not all the details have been worked out, but Warren Senior Center Executive Director Margaret Sleeman said on Thursday that the decision has been made to relocate the center to the building which is under construction at the west end of the 300 block of Pennsylvania Ave., W.

Since plans for the new housing/retail building were announced almost two years ago, the Warren Senior Center has been mentioned as a likely tenant of the lower level or "lawn level" of the building. The "lawn level" will open onto Breeze Point Landing.

Asked on Thursday if the senior center will be moving to Allegheny Point, Sleeman said, "It looks like we are."

"The decision has been made to locate there, but the question now is how much space we want," said Sleeman.

Sleeman said senior center representatives are continuing to explore the availability of grants and how much additional money might have to be raised for the new senior center.

"We've got some probes out there and we're waiting to hear," said Sleeman.

But the question at this point, said Sleeman, is not whether the senior center will move to Allegheny Point but how much space it will occupy.

The senior center will probably be renting the space for the new senior center rather than purchasing the facility from the owner, Susquehanna Valley Development Group.

The senior center is currently located in a converted residence in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Ave., W.

Among the benefits of a new senior center at Allegheny Point, said Sleeman, would be a larger dining area, possibly a walking track and exercise room.

The adjacent Soldiers and Sailors Park stage and seating will also give the senior center the opportunity to hold more outdoor events, Sleeman said.

The building is expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of this year.
Allegheny Point will contain 20 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom housing units, all with handicapped access, for persons aged 62 and older.

The "lawn level" of the new building will be 11,000 square feet. Construction of the foundation by John Anderson Construction is well under way.

The street-level of the 44,000 square foot building will offer retail and office space.

Allegheny Point will include an air-lock entry system for energy efficiency and security for tenants. The second and third floors will also have a security system, allowing tenants to control entry to the building. An elevator will make all floors accessible to the handicapped or disabled.

The 150-foot wide parcel, the former site of the Eagles Club, was purchased for economic development purposes by the county in 1999 for $110,000 and conveyed to the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry by county commissioners for development for a token fee of $1.

Allegheny Point got a boost with a $915,000 "home" loan from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

Susquehanna Valley Development, developer for "Impact Warren," applied for the loan to help with construction. The loan is the responsibility of Susquehanna at no payment for 25 years and no interest. The money will be used to finance construction of the upper two floors of Allegheny Point.