Xonia Edwards, a cook at the Breen Avenue Senior Citizens Center in Kingsford, is back preparing meals at the center after an extensive remodel of the kitchen. (Iron Mountain Daily News photo)

KINGSFORD — After two months of hard work, the kitchen at the Breen Avenue Senior Citizens Center reopened last Monday.

“The remodel was very needed,” volunteer Donna Peterson said. “The ceiling was really bad from leaks, the floor was coming up and half of the drawers on the cabinets did not operate.”

The kitchen remodel, the most extensive upgrade to the since the building became a senior center in the 1970s, included new floors, ceiling, paint, cabinets and countertops. Center cooks Christine Pataconi and Xonia Edwards welcomed the upgrades, saying that the layout will make operations more efficient.

During the remodel, meals were brought in from the Iron Mountain Senior Center. The center serves up to 30 meals a day.

“The center is a vital part of our community with the services we have,” volunteer Susan Bjorkman said. “Our older people, many of them are sitting home alone. I wish even more people would come so they would not be sitting at home.”

The project was funded in part by millage funds the center receives from Dickinson County.

Center staff thanked Hometowne Building Supply, Bob’s Custom Carpentry, Sikora Sheet Metal, Allen Painting and Decorating, Lafleur Wood Work, D&L Plumbing and Heating and the numerous volunteers who helped put the kitchen together.

The Breen Avenue Senior Citizens Center is at 244 Parkway St. in Kingsford and is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with meal service starting at 11:30 a.m. Suggested donation for seniors is $5 and all others are $6.