Senior center idea gets warm reception at city hall

NEBRASKA CITY – A Nebraska City man hoping to establish a senior center left Monday’s city council meeting with the city administrator’s business card and optimism about the prospects.
Joseph Fleming, a retired construction superintendent and office manager, told city commissioners he sums up Nebraska City’s organized activities for senior citizens during business hours in the range of zero.
Fleming: “It’s imperative for our own rejuvenation to get out there and do something. I’m asking for their approval, their assistance and their guidance. I’ll do the work. It’s just that I need a little bit of help.”
Fleming said he would help raise funds and assist with the organizational aspect of a senior center, but didn't know what to expect after getting on the city council agenda.

Fleming: “I really anticipated them telling me that ‘there is really nothing we can do at this time,’ but that wasn’t the case. I’m supposed to call a gentleman at city hall and see what we can come up with from there.”
Fleming said he envisions a space where senior citizens will come to enjoy themselves and communicate with each other.
Fleming: “It helps us stay young to be able to communicate with our friends other than by phone or ipad or something. Just get out of the house, be mobile, be physical, … well, have a good time.”
A Nebraska City housing study predicts that the city’s elderly population will increase by 2026 and says the city could be a destination for retirees if housing and services are available.
Since 2000, the population over age 55 has grown by 136 residents, compared to declines in 19 and under and 35 to 54 age groups.
World of the Aging was among the last occupants of the Veterans Memorial Building in Nebraska City before it was closed by city commissioners in 2007. The meal program was moved to Riverview Terrace.
Nineteen years ago, former mayor Jo Dee Adelung proposed a downtown senior center connected to a gymnasium and theater. The idea did not gain traction, however, as the city purchased property to build the Rowe Safety Complex that year. Renovations of the Veterans Memorial Building were completed in 2024.