At Thursday’s ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly renovated White Rock Municipal Complex, from left, Los Alamos County Council Chair David Izraelevitz, White Rock Senior Center Coordinator Annie Bard, Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization Executive Director Pauline Schneider and County Councilor Chris Chandler along with other county officials and residents. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Residents relax Thursday in the reading room at the new White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

The final project is the White Rock Municipal Complex, which includes the White Rock Senior Center. Improvements to the complex include new interior floor plans and finishes, new utilities and mechanical/electrical equipment, new ADA restrooms, new window and doors, improved grading and drainage, fresh landscaping, a new commercial kitchen and 1,200 more square feet of new space.

Project construction took 10 months and cost $3.965 million. A $270,000 grant from the Aging and Long Term Services Department helped with the cost.

Public Works Director Philo Shelton said the project was completed on time and under budget. Anthony Strain, the project manager, said it was “kind of melancholy” to see the project reach fruition. He explained, including outreach work and budgeting, he spent a little more than two years on the White Rock Municipal Complex project. “It kind of consumes you,” Strain said. “It becomes yours.”

“It’s really an honor to do this project for the county,” Strain said.

Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization Executive Director Pauline Schneider expressed her feelings about the end result.

“I’m thrilled,” she said. “It’s a wonderful facility but what makes it is seeing the senior citizens use it as it was designed to be used. That’s what makes it beautiful. The beauty comes from the seniors here.”

Glenn Lockhart, a member of the White Rock Master Plan Implementation Committee, joked that it was about time for the municipal complex to be completed.

“I just told councilors that I wore a 1960s hat because it felt like it took that long to get it done,” he said.

Lockhart credited the people on the committee ss well as County staff for getting the job done.

“We had a lot of seniors who know how to do things; we had a lot of engineers, a lot of craftsman so they could make suggestions in the design and construction,” he said. “I think it helped. Also having representatives from all the County departments that were affected was a great help.”

From left, County Council Chair David Izraelevitz, Project Manager Anthony Strain and Public Works Director Philo Shelton unveil a plaque for the newly completed White Rock Municipal Complex. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

​White Rock Master Plan Implementation Committee Member Glenn Lockhart speaks at the ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

The community checks out the new digs Thursday at the White Rock Municipal Complex. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

The new dining hall at the White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

A new fitness area at the White Rock Senior Center. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com