Gwinnett commissioners voted Tuesday to complete the “one-stop” Senior Services Center at 567 Swanson Drive in Lawrenceville. The phase two addition will add a new kitchen for home-delivered meals and other senior nutrition programs.

Senior Services Manager Jamie Cramer said, “With this new commercial kitchen, we will offer more choices for home-delivered clients and those who attend our senior centers in Lawrenceville, Buford and Norcross.”

Talbot Construction, Inc., of Suwanee was the lowest of five responsive bidders at $2.14 million to build the 12,000-square-foot addition. Like the original building, the addition is completely funded by a federal community development block grant. A groundbreaking ceremony will take place on November 30. Construction will take about a year. 

The increased capacity will allow Senior Services to raise more revenue by selling up to 2,000 more prepared meals to caregivers and seniors. They currently prepare about 600 daily meals in the home-delivered and congregate meals programs. There are 130 qualified seniors on a waiting list.

Cramer said, “This facility will serve our rapidly growing senior population and family caregivers with more space for preparation, packaging and storage and will support a planned expansion of the home delivered meals program to serve seniors on weekends.”