FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 30, 2021

CONTACT:
MayorPress@sandiego.gov

SAN DIEGO Surrounded by dozens of community members to celebrate the grand opening of a long-awaited neighborhood gathering place, Mayor Todd Gloria was joined today by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber and Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe to officially open the Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center.

At last, the Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center is open to serve. For decades, residents have advocated for a space to call their own, and today that dream is reality, Mayor Gloria said. Not only is this spacious facility beautifully designed, but it is also an energy-efficient structure built with the environment and community in mind.

Located in Bay Terraces Park, the 3,400 square-foot facility is the first City-designed Zero Net Energy building, which means that it will be completely powered by the solar panels on its roof. The facility includes a multipurpose room, commercial kitchen, office, restrooms and updates to the site to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center is the culmination of 30 years of advocacy for a dedicated space, resources, and programming for the seniors in our Bay Terraces neighborhood, Councilmember Montgomery Steppe said. We proudly proclaim it Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center Grand Opening Day in the City of San Diego, and we are grateful to celebrate this milestone with the community activists, advocates and allies who relentlessly fought to bring the center to fruition.

For over 25 years, community members have advocated for a facility that will serve seniors and residents living in the Paradise Hills, Bay Terraces and Skyline communities. To celebrate all the years of hard work, the grand opening event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a program complete with a line dance performance, food, music and remarks from community members.

It is my honor to be a part of this momentous grand opening event, Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber said. The Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center has been a long time coming, and truly speaks to the persistence and tenacity of the residents who made this happen.

"I began advocating for the Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center as my RISE San Diego Community Action Project as a RISE Fellow in 2015. The Bay Terrace Fil-Am Senior Association, Fil-Am community leaders, and diverse groups of allies joined together in the spirit of bayanihan (communal unity), to bring this 30-year injustice to an end, said Cynthia CK Suero-Gabler, a community member who helped spearhead the efforts to build the center. Thank you to everyone who supported this project, especially Mayor Gloria and the People's Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe for being our champions, and thank you to the City of San Diego Parks and Rec for creating a beautiful and safe space for all people to enjoy."

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