The Santa Clara Senior Center expansion was completed and the new Center opened in February, 2007. Come by to see this beautiful facility which has been expanded from 16,600 sq. ft. to more than 45,000 sq. ft., and serves seniors and the disabled. The facility was developed with extensive community input, and shares space with the adjacent 7-acre Fremont Park and playground. The new Senior Center is the largest senior center in the Bay Area. It is open daily except Sundays, for a total of 70 hours per week.
The Senior Center offers a variety of ongoing recreational activities to anyone age 50 and older. There is a coffee/snack bar in the lobby, along with comfortable chairs, game tables and a fireplace. The existing auditorium/multipurpose room was retained and seats up to 300. The Center also kept its full service, commercial grade kitchen. Activities in the various expanded areas of the new facility include woodshop, lapidary, cards, billiards, bingo, painting, and dances. Classes are also offered through Adult Education in sessions that last approximately 10 weeks at a time, and can include aerobics, ballroom dance, ceramics, creative arts, painting, sewing, Spanish, Senior theater, Tai-chi, western line dance, and yoga. Services on site include specialized workshops, a nurse, case manager, notary, health insurance/medicare representative, legal assistance, and a nutrition meal program. The Senior Center also sells transit passes for seniors and the disabled (includes BART, bus, and Light Rail tickets).
The Senior Center has a Computer Lab with 15 computers. A new 3,000 sq. ft. fitness area has 37 pieces of commercial-quality exercise equipment on a rubberized floor, and the 7,000 sq. ft. natatorium (indoor pool area) features a lap pool, a therapeutic pool and a spa. The Santa Clara Senior Center is the first senior center in the Bay Area to have indoor pools, locker rooms and individual showers. A formed signed by a doctor giving permission to work out on the Center's exercise equipment or to use the pools must be on file. Residents who are 50 years or older can use the Center at no charge; they may bring a guest for an additional fee. Call the Senior Center at (408) 615-3170 for more information.
Special events at the Center occur often and can include pancake breakfasts, Spring fashion show, Summer barbecues, and a Christmas party. The Senior Tour program offers day, overnight, and extended trips to a variety of places within the area and out of the area. It is one of the most extensive tour programs in the Bay Area.