The Sybene-Chesapeake Senior Center has been in need of a good, permanent home.

The center had to leave its  Burlington location a few years ago, after a funding levy failed to pass with the county’s voters.

Thanks to the efforts of the Lawrence County Commission and others, the center was able to continue, with a modular unit next to the Chesapeake Community Center at the village’s old high school, where it has been for the past four years.

While members of the center have expressed gratitude for the location, its small size does not easily accommodate the group’s needs.

There has been a push to find the center a larger home and, last week, those efforts got a push toward reality.

Lawrence County Commissioner Freddie Hayes Jr. announced that funding has been secured to build a new center at the Lawrence County fairgrounds in Rome Township.

The commissioners had been working with State Rep. Ryan Smith, R-93, to get the $1 million in grant money, which will also go to building an EMS center in Rome Township to serve the eastern end of the county and to pay down a barn at the fairgrounds.

The center, under the direction of Darlene Green, has been an important part of the Lawrence County Community, providing three meals a day to seniors, while hosting a variety of events for seniors.

We hope these funds will be approved by Gov. John Kasich and that these projects will soon be under way, helping the center in its mission and allowing it to thrive.