Seniors who frequented the McGovern Park Senior Center before it closed will be relocated to two temporary buildings soon, and the Milwaukee County Board  approved $100,000 in funds to launch a study to help plan for a long-term permanent site. 

Those are the latest developments since the closure of the senior center left residents struggling and also raised questions about whether the building should reopen or be replaced. 

“We still expect a multi-year process to get to a new permanent site, but this was a really positive step,” said Maria Melendes, project manager for the Milwaukee County Department of Health & Human Services. 

The center has been closed since August, when historic flooding in the area created mold, poor air quality and caused other damage to the 52-year-old county-owned facility. 

The building’s closure left seniors feeling isolated and neglected. But now seniors like Roxie Touchstone, 64, who had been attending the McGovern Park Senior Center since retiring from the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office four years ago, are filled with anticipation for the new plans.

“I’ve alerted some of the other isolated seniors about what’s coming and they’re really excited too,” Touchstone said. “There’s somewhere to go everyday now.”

Relocation updates

According to Melendes, seniors can begin attending Embassy Center MKE, 3725 N. Sherman Blvd., as early as June 15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

“We’re in the final stages of finalizing the lease,” Melendes said. “Serving Older Adults still needs to move in equipment, so we’re moving as fast as we can.”

Serving Older Adults is a local nonprofit that provides older adult programming. 

The second site for the displaced seniors will be at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St. Programming there will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning June 23.

Touchstone said she loves both buildings, but Havenwoods State Forest appeals to her the most.

“I like nature and it’s close to home,” she said. “I could get adventurous and ride my bike there.”

Seniors say they’re looking forward to resuming their programming like dance, body exercises, nutritional dieting, sewing and more at the new locations.

Resolving transportation challenges

McGovern Park seniors have raised concerns about transportation challenges they face by visiting alternative senior centers. 

According to Shannon Downie, chief programming officer for Serving Older Adults, seniors can use Transit Plus, a van ride service that transports individuals with disabilities who can’t use fixed bus routes.

Rides are $4 and you can click here to learn more. 

Serving Older Adults also suggested that seniors use the Milwaukee County Older Adult Transportation Service, which will transport seniors to grocery stores, all senior centers and other places. 

“When these new senior sites open, they will be added to the list of available destinations,” said Dan Idzikowski, aging unit director for the county Department of Health and Human Services.

Karen Harrison, 65, who had been attending the McGovern Park Senior Center for three years, said that those who are struggling with transportation should consider carpooling with other seniors.

“If you know anybody having transportation problems, then you should offer them a ride,” Harrison said. “We can deal with this until we get our home back.” 

Click here to view more transportation options for seniors.

Developing a meal site

Though seniors will only be attending Havenwoods State Forest twice a week, they are hoping to develop a cold lunch program that offers sandwiches, fruits and other light snacks. 

“That place has an outside patio with picnic tables and benches, so we’re hoping to get some type of food program,” Touchstone said.

According to Melendes, the county plans to look into potential food services after the facilities have launched with the seniors, so they can see how many people attend.

“There needs to be a certain number of people attending regularly who want to participate in the meal program in order to do it,” she said.

A work in progress

Melendes said the old McGovern Park Senior Center, 4500 W. Custer Ave., is expected to be demolished in 2027.

At the temporary sites, seniors are planning to develop new activities like a weekly movie day, a walking group and more. 

“Hope is not lost, this is truly happening,” Touchstone said.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Temporary sites secured for displaced patrons of the McGovern Park Senior Center

by Chesnie Wardell, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
June 11, 2026

<h1>Temporary sites secured for displaced patrons of the McGovern Park Senior Center</h1> <p class="byline">by Chesnie Wardell, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />June 11, 2026</p> <p>Seniors who frequented the McGovern Park Senior Center before it closed will be relocated to two temporary buildings soon, and the Milwaukee County Board&nbsp; approved $100,000 in funds to launch a study to help plan for a long-term permanent site.&nbsp;</p> <p>Those are the latest developments since the closure of the senior center left residents struggling and also raised questions about whether the building should reopen or be replaced.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We still expect a multi-year process to get to a new permanent site, but this was a really positive step,” said Maria Melendes, project manager for the Milwaukee County Department of Health &amp; Human Services.&nbsp;</p> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large"><img src="https://milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/McGov-Sen-1-1024x714.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-165820" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Seniors of the McGovern Park Senior Center came together for a tea party to celebrate Mother’s Day. (Photo provided by Roxie Touchstone)</figcaption></figure> <p>The center has been <a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/03/04/will-the-mcgovern-park-senior-center-reopen/">closed since August</a>, when historic flooding in the area created mold, poor air quality and caused other damage to the 52-year-old county-owned facility.&nbsp;</p> <p>The building’s closure left <a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/03/31/they-abandoned-us-and-left-us-to-dry-residents-struggle-with-closure-of-mcgovern-park-senior-center/">seniors feeling isolated and neglected</a>. But now seniors like Roxie Touchstone, 64, who had been attending the McGovern Park Senior Center since retiring from the Milwaukee District Attorney’s Office four years ago, are filled with anticipation for the new plans.</p> <p>“I’ve alerted some of the other isolated seniors about what’s coming and they’re really excited too,” Touchstone said. “There’s somewhere to go everyday now.”</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Relocation updates</strong></h2> <p>According to Melendes, seniors can begin attending Embassy Center MKE, 3725 N. Sherman Blvd., as early as June 15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We’re in the final stages of finalizing the lease,” Melendes said. “<a href="https://servingolderadults.org/">Serving Older Adults</a> still needs to move in equipment, so we’re moving as fast as we can.”</p> <p>Serving Older Adults is a local nonprofit that provides older adult programming.&nbsp;</p> <p>The second site for the displaced seniors will be at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St. Programming there will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning June 23.</p> <p>Touchstone said she loves both buildings, but Havenwoods State Forest appeals to her the most.</p> <p>“I like nature and it’s close to home,” she said. “I could get adventurous and ride my bike there.”</p> <p>Seniors say they’re looking forward to resuming their programming like dance, body exercises, nutritional dieting, sewing and more at the new locations.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Resolving transportation challenges</strong></h2> <p>McGovern Park seniors have raised concerns about transportation challenges they face by visiting alternative senior centers.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to Shannon Downie, chief programming officer for Serving Older Adults, seniors can use Transit Plus, a van ride service that transports individuals with disabilities who can’t use fixed bus routes.</p> <p>Rides are $4 and you can <a href="https://www.ridemcts.com/accessibility/transit-plus/transit-plus-wisgo-id">click here</a> to learn more.&nbsp;</p> <p>Serving Older Adults also suggested that seniors use the Milwaukee County Older Adult Transportation Service, which will transport seniors to grocery stores, all senior centers and other places.&nbsp;</p> <p>“When these new senior sites open, they will be added to the list of available destinations,” said Dan Idzikowski, aging unit director for the county Department of Health and Human Services.</p> <p>Karen Harrison, 65, who had been attending the McGovern Park Senior Center for three years, said that those who are struggling with transportation should consider carpooling with other seniors.</p> <p>“If you know anybody having transportation problems, then you should offer them a ride,” Harrison said. “We can deal with this until we get our home back.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Click <a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/02/17/here-are-transportation-services-for-seniors-in-milwaukee-county/">here</a> to view more transportation options for seniors.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Developing a meal site</strong></h2> <p>Though seniors will only be attending Havenwoods State Forest twice a week, they are hoping to develop a cold lunch program that offers sandwiches, fruits and other light snacks.&nbsp;</p> <p>“That place has an outside patio with picnic tables and benches, so we’re hoping to get some type of food program,” Touchstone said.</p> <p>According to Melendes, the county plans to look into potential food services after the facilities have launched with the seniors, so they can see how many people attend.</p> <p>“There needs to be a certain number of people attending regularly who want to participate in the meal program in order to do it,” she said.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>A work in progress</strong></h2> <p>Melendes said the old McGovern Park Senior Center, 4500 W. Custer Ave., is expected to be demolished in 2027.</p> <p>At the temporary sites, seniors are planning to develop new activities like a weekly movie day, a walking group and more.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Hope is not lost, this is truly happening,” Touchstone said.</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <p><em>Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between </em><a href="https://www.catchlight.io/local"><em>CatchLight Local </em></a><em>and </em><a href="https://www.reportforamerica.org/"><em>Report for America</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/06/11/temporary-sites-secured-for-displaced-patrons-of-the-mcgovern-park-senior-center/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=165819&amp;amp;ga4=G-HGM4XK3QCM&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2026/06/11/temporary-sites-secured-for-displaced-patrons-of-the-mcgovern-park-senior-center/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/milwaukeenns.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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