Though the reopening has been a long time coming, local senior centers are setting guidelines and resuming operations in phases to ensure health and safety for staff, clients and visitors.

Forsyth Senior Center

The Forsyth Senior Center, located in Gwinn, is currently in step one of a six-step plan to reopen its facility. However, the date to open its doors remains to be determined.

Forsyth Senior Center Director Brian Veale has been working throughout the pandemic in his office at the center and hopes to relaunch the center’s homemaking program by next week.

The Phelps Square building in Ishpeming, which currently houses the Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center, is shown. (Journal photo)

Social workers have been working remotely throughout the pandemic, he said.

Reaching step two of the plan all depends on the governor’s executive orders and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Veale said. This includes allowing homemaking to take place after a review of safety procedures and wearing safety masks and gloves. Clients will also be asked to wear masks while a worker is near.

Chore workers would continue to rake or cut grass without contact.

The office would incorporate limited scheduled appointments including foot care, tax appointments and regularly scheduled events such as blood pressure screenings.

Masks would be required in the building where people congregate and temperature checks would be taken at the door before entry.

The Forsyth Senior Center is located within the historic Gwinn Clubhouse, which was constructed in 1910. The center serves seniors from seven townships. (Journal photo by Renee Prusi)

Step three involves small group exercise that follows proper social distancing, which would mean no more than four to six people in a group. Grief counseling would be permitted if it is spread out, however, no food would be allowed. The area and equipment will be cleaned between appointments.

Step four will allow for scheduled small group participation in activities such as men’s coffee meetings without food. Step five will include larger groups such as Merry Mixers and Local Council of Aging, while step six of the plan involves resuming most activities. The plan is subject to change as it depends on state and local regulations.

For more information about the center call 906-346-9862 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center

The Ishpeming Multi-Purpose Senior Center reopened its services by appointment only on June 1 and plans to resume some in-house operations Monday with a comprehensive COVID-19 preparedness and response plan.

The exterior of the Marquette Senior Center along the 300 block of West Spring Street in Marquette is pictured. There are two entrances to the senior center along West Spring Street, one of which is equipped with a wheelchair lift. (Journal photos by Cecilia Brown)

With the reopening, no more than 10 visitors will be allowed in at a time with the door along High Street unlocked to allow drop-ins into the main room where reduced seating will be put in place.

Individuals are required to wear face masks — disposable face masks will be available upon entry — and take other safety precautions including social distancing, touchless forehead thermometer temperature checks, using touchless hand sanitizer dispensers and disinfecting surfaces such as tables, chairs and door handles, IMPSC Director Elyse Bertucci said in an email.

Offices will be off-limits, no snacks/beverages will be offered and policies for employees — which incorporate general and specific job duties and responsibilities –will be put in place, Bertucci said.

“We have been working at the senior center behind locked doors with reduced staff hours and it is so quiet in the center except for the phone ringing,” Bertucci said. “(I’m) looking forward to noise and motion in the center and seeing seniors we have not seen since March. Also, looking forward to being (able) to assist seniors with any needs or concerns in a more accessible manner and being able to respond quicker to their requests. We are very concerned about the seniors in our community during this crisis and getting back to regular hours is a big step forward in our ‘new normal’ operations.”

Since the pandemic hit, employees have been working at home and caseworker services continued by phone only on a regular basis, Bertucci said.

The foot care clinic provided by U.P. Home Health & Hospice has restarted. Chore service has restarted and homemaking will begin with guidelines to be followed, she noted.

“All clients and homemakers are contacted prior to appointment for a well check. All clients will be given reusable and disposable face masks, hand sanitizers and pens,” she said. “Homemakers are supplied with face masks, disposable gloves, foot booties, hand sanitizer along with guidelines and procedures to follow to insure theirs and the client’s health. At this time, there are no plans to restart our activity programs at the center.”

Though the multitude of requirements may seem extensive, it’s important to remain respectful of others and work together to ensure health and safety for all, Bertucci emphasized.

The center is located at 700 East North Street in the lower level of the Phelps Building in Ishpeming.

To contact the center, call 906-485-5527.

Marquette Senior Center

In accordance with state and local guidelines, the Marquette Senior Center plans to open Monday on an appointment basis, which includes social work services and foot clinic appointments.

The MSC will follow a three-tier plan of reopening its facility, Marquette Senior Services Manager Maureen McFadden said.

Tier one, which came into play at the beginning of the pandemic, included closing all public buildings, canceling most of the center’s programs and having staff and social workers continue operations remotely, she said. The second tier of the plan began June 1 with staff returning to the office. The third tier will be opening up programs and buildings as much as possible for normal operating per safety recommendations advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, McFadden said.

“We are a mask-required center, so anybody that enters our building right now is required to wear a mask. Staff is required to wear a mask. Staff are also being screened before they come into work so if there’s any risk of possible contamination or infection, we are hoping to stop that right at the door and not have it spread into our center,” McFadden said. “Staff are also taking extra trainings, specifically related to COVID-19, and that is both city and county recommended.”

The homemaking program is set to resume soon and specific clients will be notified, she said. Three virtual programs — senior dance, tai chi and Silver Sampler events– have been offered throughout the quarantine period and will continue to be offered.

On Wednesday, the Silver Sampler program — an outdoor recreation program — will be tailored for beginners and includes an in-person educational session about the program, what goals it has and a light-beginner hike.

This event will hopefully spark and encourage outdoor education on how to stay safe and independent while participating in outdoor activities, McFadden said, adding that all are welcome to attend and are urged to call the center for more details.

As far as safety precautions go, staff continues to take action with CDC recommendations in mind and that’s the reason why reopening in tiers was important, McFadden said, explaining that there wouldn’t be “an influx of people” at one given time. Other practices include eliminating constant entry to one entrance so staff can see who is entering the building and help people maintain appropriate social distance from each other.

Interacting with clients is what McFadden looks forward to the most about returning to somewhat normal operations, she said.

“We really miss our clients, bottom line. We miss our clients, we know that they miss each other, so we just ask for patience during this time (be)cause we are just as eager to see our patrons as they may need to come back,” she said. “And we want to assure them that we’re doing everything we can to make that happen, but that everybody’s safety is our first priority and we just have to make sure that we’re not jumping the gun, so to speak.”

Though the center has to be extra careful opening its services to its clients, McFadden said she looks forward to seeing people, learning new skills and sharing those skills with others.

“I personally love getting to see everyone’s face. I love getting to hear people’s stories. And because we’ve been shut down for so long, I think that people have a lot to share and I think what they have to share and their wisdom is something, that as we move forward into this new world and this new normal, we can learn a lot from. And that’s what I love most about my job, is learning from the people we get to talk to and see and meet on a day-to-day basis.”

For more information about the center’s operations, call 906-228-0456. The Marquette Senior Center is located at 300 W. Baraga Ave. in Marquette.

Negaunee Senior Citizens Center

Since June 1, the Negaunee Senior Citizens Center began implementing its multi-phase plan of reopening by transitioning staff back to the office.

While there isn’t yet a date set for fully reopening, the plan is to allow the public into the building by appointment only, starting July 6, for services such as foot care and the blood pressure Negaunee Senior Citizens Center Director Kristy Basolo-Malmsten said in an email.

Officials are constantly watching the numbers and when the time is right, they will make a decision to move into the next phase, Basolo-Malmsten said.

The phase of the appointment-only meetings will require door screenings with temperature checks, a questionnaire and masks must be worn by all individuals.

“Because we have a health department license here for food, we have a little more hoops to jump through,” she said. “There will be a limit to how many people can be in the building, and our tables and chairs will be rearranged for safe social distancing.”

The center continues to provide services, even if most of it is conducted over the phone, she said, noting that staff call each homemaking client weekly and provide contactless chore work outside of people’s homes.

Social work is still available and staff proceeds with communication by sending out greeting cards, notes and other items in the mail for those who have hearing difficulties, she added.

“In the midst of this pandemic closure, we have been undergoing construction on both the inside and outside of the center thanks to a grant from the (Michigan Economic Development Corp.) The parking lot and intersections should be done before we are open to the public, so that’s a blessing,” Basolo-Malmsten said. “Our inside work is coming along but will be ongoing throughout this time. It’s exciting for us to have these improvements for our seniors upon our reopening.”

Without the “fun and camaraderie of Pioneer Week” this year, it will be a different summer, Basolo-Malmsten said, adding that she understands that having a gathering of people from all across the nation for one week would not be a wise decision at this time.

However, the center has been offering online tai chi classes via Zoom video conferencing and that has been an interactive way to move forward, she added.

“We miss our people, but we want them to be safe. With a small staff, handling all the disinfecting and screening will take up all of our time, so we want to make sure we’re ready, and that we minimize risk as much as possible. Our center is just not the same without the buzz and laughter of our most prized asset — our senior citizens,” she said.

For questions or more information, call the Negaunee Senior Citizens Center at 906-475-6266. The center is located at 410 Jackson St., Negaunee.

Jackie Jahfetson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is

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