Senior citizen center to reopen with limited hours, activities in Monroeville

The Monroeville Senior Citizen Center will open again in October, under restrictions.

Senior center officials announced Sept. 14 that the facility will reopen to seniors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting Oct. 5, according to Tara Gresock, the center’s director. The reopening date marks the first of three phases in the center’s overall plan to reopen after having been closed to the public since March.

On Aug. 10, the center reopened only its front office from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday to provide guidance to senior citizens and refunds for events that were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

During phase one, the senior center will open its fitness area, allow small group exercise classes to begin again, as well as limited personal training. Gresock said the center had planned to launch phase one in early August but its fitness coordinator resigned and moved out of state.

Gresock said the center found a replacement but delayed reopening until Oct. 5 to give him time to acclimate. The new fitness coordinator, Frank Loffredo, was scheduled to take over on Sept. 21.

The fitness coordinator was one of two employees furloughed from the senior center in May, Gresock said. A custodian who worked at the center returned to work with Monroeville’s public works department.

Monroeville Council furloughed 12 full-time employees from the library and the senior center in May, saying then that they would be recalled July 6. The move was done to stymie covid-19’s financial impact to the municipality.

Gresock said phase one of the center’s plan will last for around 30 days, before moving into phase two – which includes bringing back smaller social activities and expanding its working days and hours.

The final phase will include “going back to normal, pre-covid” operations. Gresock could not say when that might happen because it depends on orders from Gov. Tom Wolf and state and county officials.

“It’s going to be an adjustment for all of us, but we just want to make sure we all stay safe and healthy before returning to normal,” Gresock said.