Marquette Senior Services Task Force

A group of volunteers in Marquette is working to transform the city’s Senior Center into a community center.

The Senior Services Task Force knows the Senior Center is about much more than bingo games.

It also includes tax preparation help, social workers and many other services.

The group wants to better integrate the senior center into the city.

Task force chairman Stan Bigham says in many communities, Marquette included, there’s a sense of isolation surrounding senior centers.

He says the group is trying to eliminate that problem.

The task force has until January to make formal recommendations to the City Commission.

But Bigham says the group is planning to remain intact after that.

At the moment, the task force is the only group that advocates for senior issues to city government.

The city’s Council on Aging Board once performed that task, but it’s been inactive since 2005.