Burst pipes have closed the Fannin County Senior Center, but the services anchored there will continue.
Fannin County Commission Chairman Jamie Hensley said Friday the center is closed until further notice while the full extent of the damage is determined and plans are made for repairs.
Meanwhile, in a letter to Hensley, Jonathan Ray, executive director of North Georgia Community Action (NGCA), said plans are in place to continue Mountain Area Transportation System (MATS) operations as well as delivering Meals on Wheels.
Hensley said the problem was discovered Christmas Eve by Blue Ridge City Councilman Jack Taylor who called county officials to report “water running out of the senior center,” which is located next door to Blue Ridge City Hall on West First Street in Blue Ridge.
Two burst pipes, one overhead in the kitchen area, had caused extensive damage.
Hensley said officials met with the insurance adjuster last Wednesday as they try to determine “exactly where we’re at.”
It appears the entire kitchen area will have to be replaced as well as all the carpet and tile in the building.
Hensley said officials are unsure why the pipes burst since water was left running and the heat was left turned on.
Because the center had to be closed, county officials moved Toccoa Precinct Voting to the courthouse for the Special Election Tuesday, January 3.
In a Friday letter to Hensley, Ray said NGCA had partnered with Pastor Rusty Thomas and First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge for a temporary location for MATS dispatch and trip coordination.
The MATS staff will operate out of the church’s youth center and buses will park at the site in between trips during the day. They will be parked at the senior center at night.
“Rusty and the church have been very gracious to allow us to do this and this will allow us to continue offering transit services during this time period of the senior center getting repaired,” Ray wrote.
Senior citizens will also continue to receive food and meals during the down time. Plans were developed during COVID-19 to get meals to Meals on Wheels clients and seniors who regularly visit the center. “We have implemented those COVID plans for this situation,” Ray wrote.
Senior center staff is also working with the Area Agency on Aging to see if there is a possibility of taking seniors on field trips or to coordinate with the senior center in Gilmer County so they can continue to socialize and have some form of activities.
“We are working to create a solution so that they (senior citizens) do not have to remain completely isolated during this time,” Ray wrote.
Hensley said the county plans to move as quickly as possible to get the senior center repaired.