The rain and cloudy skies overhead could not diminish the glows on the faces of Fairburn seniors Tuesday for the unveiling of the city's new senior center project. The $1.8 million project is ready for the bid process with the beginning stages expected to be underway this summer.

"I'm so happy this day has come," Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards told the group of more than 100 that attended the ceremony. "Thank God we made it here and we're moving forward. We are on the way today to something you deserve. The price is small compared to the tax money you've contributed during your lives."

The 11,000-square-foot center will be located on approximately three acres near the downtown area at Roosevelt Highway and Brooks Drive. The steel and timber structure will be clad in exposed wood with hand-laid stone and brick accents, said architect Tony Pope. The center will feature a multipurpose room, full-service kitchen, four classrooms and parking for 60 vehicles, he said. Pope said plans for the center included input from the people that would be using it.

"This will be the best center in the (Fulton County) system and out of all the buildings, this is our best product," said Pope.

Like Edwards moments earlier, Mayor Betty Hannah thanked seniors for their patience with the project. Hannah said the process to secure the center had been ongoing for the past two to three years. Once completed, seniors will no longer have to travel to Hapeville or Palmetto. Seniors will have their own place here in Fairburn, she said.

Echoing Hannah's remarks, Fulton County Human Services Director Valarie Wilson told the audience that having a place of their own is empowering for Fairburn's seniors.

"This is a very emotional time for me. I remember when the aging program started nearly all the senior centers were in the City of Atlanta," Wilson said. "You feel like a stepchild when you don't have a place to call your own. Local advocates and elected officials have been adamant about this project. It's important for seniors to feel empowered, to feel like it's their home."

Having their own place will be like being back home, said Fairburn Senior Center Director Eddis Duncan.

"It will be like coming out of the wilderness," she said.

In his remarks to seniors, Edwards summed up the intention and the long-term perspective of providing a place for Fairburn seniors to call their own.

"What we do for seniors today, we do for ourselves tomorrow," Edwards said.