Waste Program Successes

Heritage Senior Center - VCP 871

Located within the Heritage District in Irving, sits the Heritage Senior Center (center). Built in 2003, it immediately became one of the largest city-run senior centers in Texas. The City of Irving (city) previously used the Lively Park Senior Center for events and activities geared towards the senior members of their community. But as the city continued to expand, the city felt the current space would no longer be adequate to serve the community, and a new space was necessary.

Around that time, the Heritage Square Shopping Center had come under control of a trust after the former owners passed away. The trust was looking to sell the property to distribute the assets to charitable causes. The trust enrolled the 5-acre property in the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) to address potential contamination from a previous dry-cleaner facility located within the strip center.

The city showed interest in purchasing the property with the intent of completing the remediation actions necessary to meet the TCEQ’s cleanup standards. In 2001, the city purchased the property and hired an environmental contractor to address the site cleanup.

Cleanup efforts at the site included the excavation and removal of approximately 790 cubic yards of soils contaminated with chlorinated solvents. The contaminated groundwater was treated to a to a level considered safe for the intended use of the property and was also sampled and monitored. In February 2008, a Municipal Settings Designation was certified for the site to ensure the groundwater would not be used in the future. The site also received a Certificate of Completion from the VCP on March 31, 2010, documenting that site cleanup was complete.

The Heritage Senior Center (senior center) opened in 2003, providing a new space for the senior members of Irving. The nearly 40,000 square foot facility features various recreational spaces including meeting spaces, a ballroom, library, fitness room, and classrooms. The senior center hosts numerous events and activities for the senior community, including pickleball, weekly ballroom dances, various art classes, activities related to continuing health and wellness, community outreach programs, tax preparation assistance, and so much more. The senior center also hosts annual events including a fall craft show and sales, and the Golden Sneaker Games. For the last three years, the Golden Sneaker Games has provided a semi-competitive atmosphere for senior members of the community to be able to engage in various activities promoting health and wellness. The Golden Sneaker Games had a fifty percent increase in participants from 2023 to 2024, and participation is expected to grow in the coming years. The senior center also features a free meal program presented in coordination with the Dallas Area Agency on Aging where thousands of meals to seniors are distributed year-round.

Next door to the Heritage Senior Center resides the Heritage Aquatic Center which opened in 2003, in conjunction with the Heritage Senior Center. It features a 20-yard lap pool, a 12-person spa, a water walking channel, and accessibility features such as a chair lift and ramp so that the Aquatic Center remains accessible for all members of the greater Irving community. The Aquatic Center hosts programs and classes geared towards sustaining the health and wellness of the senior Irving community, while also offering numerous swim classes for children and individuals with special needs. The Heritage Aquatic Center underwent renovations as part of a $690,000 improvement project and reopened in 2018.

As the city continues to grow and evolve, the Heritage Senior Center and Aquatic Center will continue to serve the greater Irving community by providing an outlet for the senior members of the community to come together in a space geared towards ensuring their continued health and wellness. This previous run-of-the-mill strip center now helps to enhance and benefit the senior community in the City of Irving, and the greater Irving community today and for many years to come.