EDMONDS — With $5.1 million in donations now in hand, supporters of the new Waterfront Center are predicting that number could grow by another $4 million by summer.
That would put the project well on its way to reaching the $11 million needed to start work on the new two-story, 26,000-square-foot building. It is planned to replace the current Edmonds Senior Center, which opened in 1961 on Railroad Avenue.
The goal is for the building to become a community center that serves all age groups.
Activities for older adults are planned from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., with parks and recreation and other activities scheduled from late afternoon until 10 p.m.
Construction is targeted to begin in summer 2018.
Permitting for the project is just beginning. “Given that we are on the waterfront, it will take essentially a year to complete,” said Farrell Fleming, the senior center’s executive director.
The new community center will be built in conjunction with the city’s nearby beach restoration project. Because of fish migration patterns, that work has to be done between the middle of July and Sept. 15, Fleming said.
The most recent donation to the waterfront center, of $100,000, came from Campbell Auto Group, which operates Volkswagen and Nissan dealerships.
The donation included an unusual stipulation — that nonprofits get a significant discount when using the center’s rooms for fundraisers, said Kurt Campbell, co-owner of Campbell Auto Group.
The family business was founded in the 1950s in downtown Edmonds.
“I know nonprofits would really enjoy that space to present their good works,” he said. “I thought we could help nonprofits and at the same time the waterfront center.”
Even as a longtime local, Campbell said he was surprised at the variety of activities that occur at the senior center.
“It’s not just about building a gorgeous building, but what it can do to help the needs of the people in the community,” Campbell said.
“They really do care about people who are marginalized and need a little extra help,” he said.
The fundraising campaign to build a new senior and community center began in 2015, with $1.25 million from the state and a $500,000 pledge from Edmonds travel guru Rick Steves.
Steves also wanted the building’s focus to be on having a place for local nonprofits to meet, Fleming said. “It’s been part of our thinking right from the beginning.”
In December, Steves announced a second round of giving — a pledge of $2 million and if $1 million can be raised in the Edmonds community, a pledge of another million.
A combination of Steves’ pledges, and local and foundation donations, means the fund drive is expected to hit $9 million by summer, Fleming said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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