Safety issues from overcrowding Friendswood senior center

And a senior center there in Friendswood is seeing a boom in enrollment and it's causing some safety issues as they are now looking to figure out what spaces to use. Sacra Gray joining us in Friendswood with some of the safety hazards here. Sacra? Yeah, this Friendswood activity building is a buzzing social hub for seniors. The building's been around for around 50 years and it used to be a library, but now it's home to activities of Tai Chi, Mahjong, Poker, Volleyball. All physical and educational activities that take place under this building are free for Friendswood residents. But the building itself structurally was not meant to sustain this type of demand and activity. So with that, there are some safety concerns when it comes to things like the narrow hallways inside the building, the parking lot that's constantly overflowing. And so with that, staff are raising concerns that influx of people is not keeping up with the building capacity. So from 2024 to 2026, there was a 35% increase in enrollment here at the senior program. And with that, the parking lot has been overflowing on a day to day basis, specifically during those peak hours. So people are having to park in the surrounding neighborhood. And when we think about senior citizens who may have walkers and mobility issues, That creates issues with them trying to get through the door. In addition to that, this used to be a library, so some of those narrow hallways and people bringing all of their items with them are creating paths in the way of people who might have mobility issues. We spoke with some seniors who raised their concerns with the building. We're overflowing at the seams. You can see behind me that we have a lot of things going on and it's a daily deal trying to find a parking place or trying to get in. Sometimes it's hard for people like Fran to get around in her wheelchair and the people with their walkers and their canes because we're taking up so much room. The Senior Citizen Advisory Committee, as well as the staff here, have actually pitched the idea to City Council about having a bigger, newer building. They're currently working to flesh out exactly what that building would look like and whether or not it would be just for seniors or if this new building would expand out to maybe be a rec center for the entire community. Anthony, back to you. Yeah, I mean, those are some good options to have, at least this conversation being done. But everything nowadays comes with a price tag. So did they give you guys any insight into the price of some of this? And then how would the city even pay for it? That's a good question. There is definitely a hefty price tag that comes with a project like this. I spoke with the deputy city manager to ask Ballpark what he's thinking. He said a project like this could cost tens of millions of dollars. So with something like that, the staff here have pitched the idea to city council. They're hoping that city council will put this as a bond election for next May. And with that, it would be up to the Friendswood residents to decide if this is a program that they would be wanting to invest in. That makes sense. Sacra Gray, thank you so much for that reporting. And the place looks like it's the place to be in Friendswood. All the folks seem to be having a good time. So hopefully they decide on that in the future. Sacra, thank you so much for that report.