Skagway elders have more opportunity to socialize this winter now that senior lunches have resumed, but a proposed municipal senior-center facility is still on hold because it fails to meet ADA standards.
On a Tuesday afternoon, Skagway seniors were in high spirits as they ate fiesta pork chops and caught up with friends. The conversation got colorful when Cindy Godbey shared some vignettes, but those can’t be broadcast, as she’s saving them for her next book.
Skagway’s elders spent much of the winter without senior meals after the site manager resigned last fall. Catholic Community Service in Juneau staffs and helps fund Skagway’s senior lunches, held at the First Presbyterian Church. The positions are part-time and compete with higher paying tourism jobs.
A new site manager was recently hired, allowing meals to resume in January. Lunches are Monday through Wednesday, with rides available to the post office on Tuesday and the grocery store on Wednesday.
Penny Sullivan said she enjoys the group’s dynamic and the nutritious offerings.
Penny Sullivan, 0:19
“I really liked the visiting and the friendliness,” Sullivan said. “And the meals were balanced. At home, I eat a sandwich, no fruit, no vegetables sometimes. But this way, you get vegetables, you get fruit. And so, I really enjoy that.”
Shirley Hunz described herself as a single person who values social interaction.
“But I really think you need to be with people,” Hunz said. “And just like with today, it’s so fun just to laugh, and somebody will say something really funny. And it’s the social aspect as well as the food.”
In the fall of 2022, the seniors ceded Big Dippers, their winter activities location, so that Little Dippers could use the building to provide childcare year-round. An all-season senior center has been in the works since March of 2023, when Royal Caribbean Group donated $75,000. The municipality plans to lease the former You Say Tomato building at a cost of $3,000 per month for three years. According to Borough Manager Brad Ryan, the opening of the center was delayed due to fire marshal review and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. You Say currently houses Skagway Development Corporation, which was displaced in last February’s fire.
The municipality advertised for a senior coordinator, a part-time contract position, to manage the senior center and provide activities. Ryan said an applicant was chosen at the end of 2023, but they declined the offer. As it was so close to the end of the fiscal year, Ryan chose to temporarily suspend hiring. He hopes to bring the position under the umbrella of the recreation center.
While a senior center and coordinator are still pending, elders and any interested community member can take advantage of chair fitness every Tuesday and Thursday at the recreation center at 10:30 a.m. Exercises done with the use of a Pilates ring, barbels, and a stretch band can improve balance and strength — and burn off that hearty helping of fiesta pork chops.
