By Staff
Special to The Star
Nov. 29, 2000
PHILADELPHIA The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians announced Tuesday that construction is planned for a new 12,000-square-foot Choctaw Elderly Activity Center.
The facility will be built near the Choctaw Town Center on Highway 16 West, which officially opened Nov. 16.
Ground-breaking ceremonies for the senior center will be held Monday, Dec. 4, at 1:30 p.m. Chief Phillip Martin and members of the Choctaw Tribal Council will host the event. Tribal members and the general public are invited to attend.
The new facility has been in the planning phase for 12 months. A survey was conducted of all Choctaw elders early in the year and the information collected was crucial to decisions about the design of the facility and what services it will offer.
The new building will blend architecturally with the new Town Center Complex and will include a kitchen and dining facility that can serve up to 250 meals a day. The dining facility will have multi-purpose capabilities and be available for the elders to use for programs, presentations and holiday activities.
It will also contain a fitness center designed for the needs of elders, a library, a barber and beauty shop area, an arts and crafts center and a television viewing area.
Limited medical screenings will be available.
The facility is an outgrowth of the Social and Elderly Nutrition Program which has operated in a temporary facility for the past several years. Lena Denson is the director of this program.
For more information, call Public Information Director Creda Stewart at 650-1537.