The Falcon Senior Services Board of Directors signed a contract in July for a .91-acre lot at Woodmen and Golden Sage roads. The site will house a 5,000-square-foot steel building to be used as a FSS community center.Beverly Ordon, FSS board chairman, said the project is scary but also exciting. “We have had tremendous community support,” Ordon said.Hammers Construction designed the building and John Scorsine of Holland & Hart LLC is providing legal counsel. Both companies are providing their services pro bono, Ordon said.Ordon estimated that FSS needs to raise $100,000 to complete the project. She said they are organizing several fundraisers for the fall and also applying for state and federal grants.”We have a very enthusiastic group, everyone is participating in the project,” she said.Planned fundraisers include a car show Aug. 23 at Patriot Learning Center (the old Falcon Middle School), a bake sale at Wal-Mart Sept. 16 and a cookbook sale in October.Ordon said she thinks the fundraisers will be successful – the last bake sale sponsored by FFS raised $800 plus additional matching funds from Wal-Mart.Together with her husband, Ordon said she organized FSS in the fall of 2006, with a goal to provide activities and programs benefiting seniors age 60 and over.The group is now 130 members strong, with members from Falcon, Peyton, Ellicott, Calhan, Black Forest and eastern Colorado Springs, she said.The group’s size is a motivating factor for building a senior center. “We meet at local churches, the middle school and the fire station. We are about to outgrow these places, and we want to provide more programs,” Ordon said.FSS meets the second Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m. for a potluck luncheon. About 60 to 70 seniors attend the luncheon. In addition to the companionship and what Ordon calls 18 feet of food – three tables brimming with homemade dishes – FSS also provides an educational program. Past programs have focused on Neighborhood Watch, identity theft prevention and asset protection.Other FSS activities include card groups and exercise classes, Ordon said.Once the center is built, she said FSS would like to provide a daily hot lunch program and transportation services. She said she hopes the new building will help them reach out to seniors in the area who don’t know about FSS.The center will be available to the community at large as well. Ordon said she has contacted a variety of outside groups, such as Memorial Hospital, AARP and Bethel School of Nursing, to gauge interest in the center. Private individuals can rent space for parties and large events. Depending on financing, Ordon anticipated that the center would be built within the year.
