BATON ROUGE mdash; The East Baton Rouge Parish Council on Aging is finalizing its plans to renovate a former grocery store into a new space for area seniors, according to Business Report.The renovation is reportedly part of the organizationrsquo;s larger efforts to expand its services. Last week, t he Council on Aging applied for a remodel permit for the complete interior renovation of the former Save-A-Lot on Evangeline Street near Elm Drive into a senior activity center. The permit application describes the scope of the project as including a kitchen, kitchen hood, restrooms, and new finishes and partitions to the roughly 16,000-square-foot building.Angell Kennedy, the agencyrsquo;s chief marketing and information officer, told Business Report that the new center, purchased in February, will broaden access to the Council on Agingrsquo;s programs and services.ldquo;It will be designed as a welcoming community hub that will offer daily congregate meals, health and wellness programs, and social engagement activities aimed at promoting independence and healthy aging while creating meaningful connection among seniors in the community,rdquo; she said.The facility will also feature a full-service Lotus Pantrymdash;a senior-focused free food pantrymdash;modeled after the agencyrsquo;s existing pantry on Main Street. The pantry is supported by a partnership with the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Louisiana Department of Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain.In June, voters renewed the Council on Agingrsquo;s dedicated 2-mill tax.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less