Horizons awarded $600,000 state CAT grant for ‘Our Place’ senior center project

Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, has been awarded $600,000 from the state’s Community Attraction and Tourism program to help build the “Our Place” Senior Recreation Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The grant will support renovation of an existing building into a 22,659-square-foot facility offering activity rooms, an exercise space, a library, a café, a movie room and a pickleball court for adults age 55 and older. The total project cost is $3,495,913.

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Cedar Rapids has been without a dedicated senior recreation center since the 2008 flood damaged the Witwer Senior Center, which never reopened. Then-Horizons president and CEO Mike Barnhart told the Linn County Board of Supervisors in an August 2024 presentation that several proposals for a replacement had surfaced over the years, but none had come to fruition until the “Our Place” project was launched.

The project, at Horizons’ building at 819 Fifth St. SE, has grown in scope and cost since it was first proposed. It was initially estimated at $2.5 million and roughly 8,000 square feet of renovated space. By the time construction began in March, the project had been expanded to include a 13,000-square-foot addition with a café, three classrooms, an exercise studio, a library, a movie theater and an outdoor pickleball court, carrying a $5.5 million capital campaign budget.

Horizons officials said in March that about 71% of that campaign had been raised, anchored by a $2 million anonymous donation announced in December. Katie Oatsvall, Horizons’ chief executive officer, said in a statement at the time of the donation, “This gift moves us from vision to reality. After nearly two decades without a senior center, Cedar Rapids’ older adults will once again have a welcoming place to connect, stay active and thrive.”

Additional funding includes a $200,000 contribution from the Linn County Board of Supervisors, drawn from American Rescue Plan Act funds, along with gifts from the Hall-Perrine Foundation, Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust and TrueNorth, in addition to numerous private donations.

Construction began March 13 with a demolition ceremony in which project leaders used sledgehammers to mark the start of work.

“People want this facility to be built,” Jim Miller, Horizons’ vice president of development, told KCRG-TV9 at the event. “We have had over 700 seniors in our community, overwhelmingly positive response to a survey saying, we need this. We want it. Here are the things we want here.”

The center is expected to open in spring 2027, according to Horizons.

The Community Attraction and Tourism program provides financial assistance to Iowa communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance quality of life in the state. Award recommendations are made by the CAT Review Committee to the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board for final approval.