Fayette Senior

Services is a third of the way to funding a long-standing dream, construction

of a new center to serve Fayette's elderly, said director Andy Carden.

"We have

about a third of the money or in-kind [contributions] in hand," Carden

said this week.

Now FSS needs

to find a general contractor, even though there's not yet enough money

to start construction.

"This

will be a great asset to us for the in-kind contributions," said

Carden, to facilitate the capital campaign." A general contractor

can talk the language of suppliers and subcontractors, he said, and solicit

contributions of materials or labor to help build the facility.

Plans for the

$3.2 million, 22,000-sq. ft. multipurpose facility are on the drawing

board of architects Flynn and Finderup, and may be ready by the end of

this week, Carden said. Once those are in hand, FSS can start looking

for the contractor.

The center,

which will serve both active and less active seniors, will be on three

acres provided by the Fayette County government, at the entrance to its

new courthouse/jail complex under construction between Lee Street and

Jimmie Mayfield Boulevard. The entrance will be on Jimmie Mayfield.

Key to the

fund-raising efforts thus far, he said, have been the members of the FSS

Capital Campaign Committee.

Among those

are Fayetteville Mayor Kenneth Steele. "He has made several key initiatives,

including asking Sen. [Greg] Hecht for the $300,000 state appropriations,"

Carden said. Hecht responded by writing to Gov. Roy Barnes asking for

a grant.

Carden also

praised Fayette's County Commission, community businesses and volunteers

for their help in making progress on the fund-raising goal.

FSS checked

into getting a Community Development Block Grant, but "mainly due

to Fayette's social/demographic profile we did not pursue the CDBG process,"

Carden said.

"Fayette

Senior Services was very fortunate to receive the three acres of land

in such prime location and to be enrolled in the county's planning,"

he said. "When all of this community focus is concluded, what a fitting

tribute to the efforts of the seniors of the past and present and those

boomers to come."