Dozens gathered at the Park City Senior Center Thursday to celebrate the building’s 50th anniversary.
Over a lasagna lunch, seniors reminisced about their time in the historic mining town.
Peggy Fletcher moved to Park City in 1963. She said before there was a center, they would gather in each other's homes. Fletcher used to take her mother-in-law, Blanche Fletcher, to events.
“Blanche was born in 1888, so when she was old enough, and they started the seniors, I would maybe take her to different functions every now and then,” Peggy Fletcher said.
But Fletcher said the goal was always to build a center.
According to Marianne Cone, an opportunity arose in 1976. The Union Pacific Railroad had abandoned the Keetley train station near the Jordanelle Reservoir, and the company told local seniors they could have the building if they could move it.
Cone said seniors worked with Park City to secure land, and got a $4,000 federal grant to cover most of the move’s cost. Locals hosted bake sales and other fundraisers to cover the last $1,500.
Sydney Reed is a 50-year resident of Park City. She said town miners moved the abandoned depot to its spot near the Park City Library using a three-truck convoy.
By 1978, the building had a new foundation and electricity.
“So we had a senior center for the first time, and everybody was thrilled because in the past, everybody, when they got to a certain age, they had to go down to Salt Lake to get medical care,” she said.
Now 81, Reed said she sees the senior center as a tribute to the people who built Park City.
“We have all lived here and helped each other and contributed to making this town,” she said. “From the cradle to the grave, we will take care of you in this town and help you become your best self.”
Paul Wisniewski first visited the center on a ski trip in the 1980s. A couple of decades later, he moved to the area, became the president and helped make the senior center more accessible.
Now 83, he says he has many heartwarming memories of the center.
“There were a lot of folks that I remember fondly, and I'm sure one day they'll remember me too,” he said.
Peggy Fletcher, 88, said the senior center is a place to connect with others.
“I started coming after my husband died, which was in the ‘60s,” she said. “It's something I look forward to.”
The senior center has grown exponentially over the last several years. Reed said in 2019, there were around 85 members. Now there are more than 900.
Local seniors have been advocating for a new center for years. Park City is designing a new facility to be built nearby on the Mawhinney parking lot.
The city’s goal is to approve a construction contract by spring 2027 and to complete the center by the winter of 2028 or 2029.
