What do local seniors need in Enumclaw? The Senior Center wants to find out.

A survey and call for volunteers to participate in focus groups went out earlier this summer, and Sept. 23 is the deadline to submit your thoughts or sign up for a chat with BERK Consulting.

“The goal of the needs assessment is to better understand what the recreational and social needs are for the older adults of this community,” Melissa Holt, director of the Senior Center, said in an email, adding that the data collected will help the center “define our goals and mission for the years ahead.”

While this survey is for those who already utilize the Senior Center, it is also for those who do not or cannot receive its services or participate in its programs.

Both the survey and focus group sign-up should take only minutes; questions for the former include how often you utilize the Senior Center, and how the center can improve its services, and questions for the latter are demographic to determine what focus groups, if any, you’re eligible for.

The survey can be filled out physically at the Senior Center, or online at surveymonkey.com/r/enumclawseniors.

The focus group sign-up can also be done at the Senior Center or online at surveymonkey.com/r/esacfocusgroup. Those chosen for a focus group can expect an hour-long session either at the Senior Center or over Zoom.

Once the assessment data is collected and analyzed, it may inform how the Senior Center will fit with a new community center, a project being explored by the Enumclaw City Council. Current plans include housing the Senior Center as well as the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce, Arts Alive!, and the city’s parks and rec department.

According to Census Reporter, roughly 37 percent of Enumclaw’s population (more than 4,400 people) is 50 years old or older, and is eligible to utilize the Senior Center.

Only about 14 percent of that population, about 622 people, are currently active at the Senior Center.