May 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 47

leisure management and design consulting company
based in Rockville, Maryland. WTS manages 120 leisure
facilities, including some public senior centers in the Chicago area. The fi rm also develops and manages social
centers for private 50-and-over housing developments.
Many of those attending their senior centers, Bolarakis
says, are healthy, active, still-employed people who " don't
really consider themselves seniors. Many of the people in
that age group actually have parents who are still alive so
they're taking their parents to the senior center. "
At the higher end, Bolarakis notes that private senior
centers at gated communities incorporate basic park and
recreation principles but eschew an institutional look for
C A RY

Albuquerque, New Mexico, the fourth most popular retirement destination in the country, enjoys a unique status
as a " youth minority " city but with an outdoorsy atmosphere. The city therefore takes a multi-generational approach to facilities, especially in the area of fitness. And
Albuquerque's senior affairs staff face some interesting
challenges-including trying to change the public's impression of the senior population.
" You get this image of a senior that's very frail, and
playing bingo all day long, or watching TV and very sedate, " says Jorja Armijo-Brasher, director of senior affairs. " Our seniors here, with the multigenerational
centers and with us changing to a 50-plus population
range, have really focused on...being fit and healthy,
and contributing. "
The Manzano Mesa Multigenerational Center is operated by the city's Department of Senior Affairs but
patrons range from age six to senior-and the center
serves youth, teens, and adults of all ages. The modern
31,000-square-foot facility includes a fitness room, game
room, multipurpose classrooms, social hall, gym, and
even a spray park.
" We do have social services, but I think at the multigenerational centers, you're creating this image of a place
to go and remain active, " Armijo-Brasher says. " It's not
where you go to get a service. You may go there to get a
good meal, you may go there to meet friends and socialize, but you're also going there because we have put a
real emphasis on the physical fitness.... "
What's really clear, Armijo-Brasher insists, is that " our
seniors need choice. "

Out and About

a country club atmosphere, often with a spa component.
Some popular features include a front desk with concierge-type services, general function spaces, billiards
room, library, state-of-the art fitness center, pickleball
courts, technology classroom, kitchens, pools, and outdoor amenities. Convenience is paramount, especially
with many residents of these gated " retirement " communities still working, according to Bolarakis.
Unlike the previous Depression-era generation of seniors, Boomer seniors are more willing to spend their
money, but they expect leisure providers to maintain a
strong brand and high quality.
" I don't think that parks and rec are necessarily at a
disadvantage, " Bolarakis says. " I think that the disadvantage that they have, if they have one, is that they are just
trying to serve so many demographics. "

44 Parks & Recreation   M A Y

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Today's senior center programming doesn't stop at the
front doors, however nice the facility. Hiking, fi shing,
sports, walking, and even senior motorcycle clubs often
meet up at senior centers and then go off as a group.
" A senior center is not just a building, " Peter Thompson in Charlottesville stresses, " but a portal for people of
like interests to get out in the community and do things. "
In Madison, Wisconsin, 50+ Fitness Specialist Jean
O'Leary couldn't agree more. Madison School and Community Recreation offers a program called " I Love Madison " designed to connect and engage the 50+ population
to the city, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and their
own community. The group visits area farms, museums,
parks, and local business establishments.
" There's a difference between just hanging around...
and being actively engaged, " O'Leary says. " If it's a regular part of their programming, they'll do it and hopefully
that enhances their skill set for being out in the community....I think people respect seniors more if they see them
May 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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