The water is gone, but the Knoxville Senior Center remains closed while the staff recovers from the damage left over from last week’s flooding.

Water from last Tuesday’s heavy rainfall seeped into the center, located in the basement of Knoxville City Hall. The center was forced to shut down, and service was cancelled for Meals on Wheels and the various meal sites around the county.

While the kitchen was spared and meal preparation resumed the next day, the Senior Center’s doors will remain shut until at least early November while cleaning and repair work is being done.

Shelly Braley is the director for the Senior Center; she tells KNIA/KRLS News the organization has been saving up for a new center for some time, and this incident only reinforces their interest in getting one.

“We are a starving non-profit organization, of course,” says Braley, “so we’re hoping to raise money to build a nice senior center with venues to rent for like, wedding parties and such.”

Braley says she and the various volunteers are removing damaged and unneeded items, and once it reopens will look upon it as a temporary location.

She points out that the Senior Center is separate from the county’s nutrition program, and hopes the two parties are able to continue their working relationship down the line.