Community Center gets extreme makeover

As Whitefish goes, so goes the

Whitefish Community Center.

“Whitefish is evolving in new ways and

we’re trying to evolve with it,” said Jody Fee, community center

trustee.

Last year the center changed its name

from the Whitefish Golden Agers to the Whitefish Community Center.

It continues to add new programs and work to attract new members of

any age. The most recent effort towards the change is an update of

the interior of the building, including new furniture and a fresh

coat of paint.

It’s all part of a new direction for

the center, said Fee. Many of the members have been coming to the

center for a long time and others have recently moved to town.

“We’re kind of developing,” she said.

“It’s no longer just an older persons’ place. There’s a lot of

older people still here, but we want to encourage those who

wouldn’t think about coming to come.”

The revamp of the interior was

completed this winter. New chairs and couches were brought in

before, but now tables, rugs and flower arrangements have been

added to complete the look. The items were obtained through a

combination of donation and purchase by the center.

Wright’s Furniture assisted with

redecorating. Frank Wright, Judy Rowland and Kris Shiesl and the

Wright’s delivery team participated.

Conversation areas with comfy couches

and chairs were created to encourage folks to sit and chat.

Photographs depicting old Whitefish from the Stumptown Historical

Society were also hung on the walls.

Fee said their expertise was

invaluable.

“They helped us move around the

furniture and make it more inviting,” Fee. “The little things make

a huge difference.”

Rowland agreed that the goal was to

make the center have a welcoming atmosphere.

“We wanted to simplify the space,” she

said. “We wanted it to be more functional and have an updated

look.”

The walls in the center, including the

kitchen, received a fresh coat of paint. Mark Anderson with Western

Building Center assisted with the new paint. The stark white walls

have been replaced by warm neutrals.

The center is available as a rental

space, as well.

Fee said the center has been rented for

wedding receptions and is ideal for events because it has a full

kitchen.

All of the visual changes compliment

the other changes happening at the center.

The center continues its senior

exercise classes, but has also added a new yoga class, which is

open to anyone. The center continues to provide daily lunches and

disperse Whitefish Meals-On-Wheels deliveries at the center, but is

now offering free coffee and wireless Internet at the center from

9:30 to 11 a.m. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

weekdays.

The center is also hosting free monthly

historical talks with Walter Sayre of Stumptown Historical

Society.