Retiree shares vision for future Civic Center

Salisbury resident and active community member Tina Gaines-Abraham urges local seniors to participate in the Parks and Recreation & Senior Center Master Plan, which aims to assist in developing a new recreation, aquatics/pool, and senior center project. Abraham, originally from Bronx, New York, moved to Salisbury four years ago.

Abraham, who has been involved in local senior activities for about two years, frequently utilizes Hall Gym and Rufty-Holmes Senior Center to stay active and connected. She enjoys playing pickleball and line dancing at Hall Gym with the Salisbury Senior Line Dance Group. Meanwhile, Rufty-Holmes offers her a variety of activities, including AARP meetings, chair volleyball, yoga, bingo, and American Sign Language (ASL) classes.

Abraham emphasized the potential benefits of a new senior center that could centralize these activities.

"A new center will be great if it has a lot of activities,” said Abraham. “If seniors have somewhere to go where everything is available in one place, it would be fantastic. Right now, I’m bouncing all over the place to stay active, traveling to the YMCA, Hall Gym, and Rufty-Holmes. It is wonderful that the City of Salisbury Parks and Recreation and Rufty-Holmes are looking into creating a space where people of all ages can gather for various activities.”

Abraham encourages all local seniors to participate in the survey to help shape the future of senior activities in Salisbury. The survey results will be instrumental in determining what new programs and facility designs might be introduced to better serve the senior population and all Salisbury residents.

The City of Salisbury and Rufty-Holmes Senior Center has hosted two in-person engagement sessions and will host two more between now and mid-June. One will be held on Wednesday, May 29, at Rufty-Holmes Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and one on Saturday, June 15, at Bell Tower Green during the Juneteenth celebration.  

Watch Abraham's interview here: https://vimeo.com/952472466. For more information or to complete the survey, please visit salisburync.gov/civiccenter.