Repairs force 2 month closure of Shawnee Community Center in west Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Shawnee Community Center gives seniors and kids in the neighborhood something to do every weekday. But it's shutting down for a few months for repairs.

"it's time for this building to have an upgrade," Ramona Powell, who's in charge of senior nutrition at the Shawnee Community Center, said. "It's been a long time coming. It's an old building."

The community center, located at 607 S. 37th Street, will close for HVAC improvements starting Sept. 2.

"The temperature is different all the time," Powell said.

Powell's younger sister, Rhonda Daugherty, agreed.

"Sometimes it gets really cold in here, and sometimes it gets really hot in here," Daugherty said.

Daugherty grew up in the west end. She's often visited the Shawnee Center for lunch for the past three years.

"Pretty much every day," she said. "This is a great place to come visit."

She was excited to hear about the upcoming changes to the HVAC system. The City of Louisville is investing $492,500 into this project.

"That's awesome," Daugherty said. "Great, go Louisville!"

In the meantime, the closure will leave dozens of the neighborhood's kids without a place to go.

"That's the only downside about it," Barbara Broughton, Shawnee Community Center's supervisor, said. "We'll still have flag football for some of the teens, but I'm always in the area, so I will be back in the area to check on my children."

While the children who use the Shawnee Community Center won't have activities for the next two months, the seniors will get to keep up with their activities at the Portland Community Center. That's located at 640 N 27th St.

"Now, we can reach out to other seniors in the community that are not too far away and probably don't realize these services are available," Dorothy Hunter, the senior center coordinator, said.

Officials hope the newly improved center will reopen at the end of October 2024.

"We'll be back before they know it," Broughton said. "A fresh mini makeover will be great!"

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