TOWSON, Md. — Seventy-seven-year-old Greg Bauer plays pickleball with his wife, Jo, several times a week at the Bykota Senior Center in Towson.
WATCH: Senior center in Towson making it easier for older adults to stay engaged
“I didn’t start coming here until a few years after I retired,” says Bauer, president of the Bykota Senior Center Council. “It was when someone introduced us to pickleball and said you could do that at the Bykota center. So, we went here, found it was a really nice social group to play with and got more active.”
The senior center is in a 100-year-old school building. Recently, it got a mini facelift, making it more accessible for the seniors.
“This is a very special building,” says Heang Tan, director of the Baltimore County Office of Aging. “This center has been the heart of the community. It’s transformed itself from school to the senior center, one of the first senior centers. It welcomes everyone at any age and any phase of life that you’re in.”
A new walkway ramp, outdoor seating and a large portico now provide a welcoming entrance to the center.
There were also a few subtle improvements inside like new carpeting and the not-so-subtle upgrades to the bathrooms.
“We’re really excited about the renovations that took place over the last seven months,” Tan says. “I actually started here about nine months ago and realized that the bathrooms were still in its original state for children.”
More than 2,000 seniors are members here and 200 people come here every day for free classes and sports.
Bauer is one of the pickleball instructors.
“It’s pretty busy,” he says. “The basketball players are in here Monday, Wednesday, Fridays. There’s pottery, there’s bridge club, garden club, photography, a whole myriad of things. You name it, we probably have it. And if we don’t, we’ll look into getting it."
September is National Senior Center Month and Baltimore County’s Department of Aging is planning a host of events to get more seniors out of the house and into their local centers.
You can find out more here or by calling 410-887-2040.
