NEWTON FALLS — When the Lordstown SCOPE Center closed in 2020, senior citizens in the southwestern section of Trumbull County needed a place to go. They headed to the Newton Falls village building at the former First Congregational Church on West Broad Street.

Richelle Drum, center manager, said the Newton Falls location was in place in July 2020 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the center did not open for in-person activities until this spring.

“Most of the people who come here are from Newton Falls, but we do get a few others from other locations. They love being here and getting out of their homes. They like the socialization and exercising. Some like to stop in for coffee. The village provided us the space and we provide the activities,” Drum said.

She said programs offered include bingo, exercise, mahjong, and lunch with plans for nutrition education programs in July.

Carla Williams, nutrition site manager for the Trumbull County Office of Elderly Affairs, said seniors can stop for a meal. She said home delivery of lunch is available to those who are homebound.

Flo Sumpter of Newton Falls said she likes being able to come to the center and exercise.

“I am not good at doing Zoom (meetings) so I was glad when they opened up for us to come here. I like events being in-person. The exercising is good for me and gets me out of the house,” she said.

Karen Rutan of Newton Falls, who is the exercise instructor three days per week, said while she has led virtual classes online it is nice to be able to meet in person and interact.

“You can feel the energy in the room. It is hard to feel the energy when you can’t see everyone at one time,” she said.

Jim Ratcliff of Newton Falls, who was recovering from an accident, said he has not been at the center since early last year and is excited for the programs.

“You can come here and exercise and see others. It’s great,” Beverly Hauser of Newton Falls said.

After several years in the Lordstown Elementary School building off Salt Springs Road, SCOPE left that site in 2020 for the new location in Newton Falls, creating a regional senior center in the western part of the county.

Mike Wilson, executive director of SCOPE, said the Newton Falls location has a dedicated area for the senior center.

He had said while the Lordstown site did serve the needs of the community for a time, the location was not air conditioned, so it became very hot and attendance also was declining.

Village manager David Lynch said the center has been a big hit since opening in Newton Falls.

“We have wanted our local seniors to have access to SCOPE programs and services. Here at this building we can provide a much more positive environment with air conditioning and a commercial kitchen. There is large space for bingo, yoga, and other activities,” he said.

Lynch said the village provides the space to SCOPE for free because services for seniors are in Newton Falls now and do not require driving to another community. He said the village covers utilities.

“There is such a positive vibe this building has taken on since SCOPE came in,” Lynch said.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com