The entrance to the Riverfront Center sports a new sign.
This used to be the Albany Senior Center, but since last summer it has had a new name. It’s the Riverfront Community Center now, and on a bike ride on a rainy Monday afternoon, I noticed the sign for the first time.
It was last June when the city council agreed with the suggestion by Parks and Recreation Director Kim Lyddane to “rebrand” the old center, originally built in 1975, as part of an effort to broaden the range of uses and programs for which it may be suitable.
The center evidently has reopened after being shut down for most of the Covid pandemic. “Patrons are returning to the RCC at increasing rates,” City Manager Peter Troedsson told the council in his weekly summary on Friday. “AARP is currently providing income tax assistance.”
The new sign features a new logo, of course, and it’s kind of clever. (At first glance the “rc” put me in mind of “radio control,” but that didn’t last long.)Â The logo not only captures all three initials but also the nearby confluence of the two rivers.
In any case, keep the name in mind. Next time somebody schedules an event or a class at the Riverfront Center in Albany, you won’t have to wonder: “Is that the old Senior Center?”
Yes, you will remind yourself, it is. (hh)
The rivers are in that direction, more or less, beyond those leafless trees.
So, did the senior center relocate or does it just not exist anymore?
The center is still there, with a new name. I don’t offhand know what programs it offers. But I think it will be similar to what it was, just more of it maybe. And not just for seniors.
Oh ok…Thanks Hasso!
Rebrand?
Isn’t that a marketing initiative aimed at separating more dollars from more customers?
Facebook rebranded. Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Dunkin’ Donuts rebranded. The effort paid off very well for them.
But rebrand a government Senior Center? What are the metrics of success the city will track?
Did a city employee get promoted, or a consultant handsomely paid, for this rebranding project? It looks like a sign company profited. Hopefully the company was local.
Well said. More money out of our pockets we don’t have to waste
oh Pat. Surely the new logo. sign name, fresh blue paint and lack of fanfare tells you all you need to know. Not much $$ spent.
I ..um..jeeze… that new signage is horrific. Donated?
all lowercase atop. Caps below. That art river of R C and C. Ugh. Surely donated.
One hopes. We will survive this.
Yes, a rebrand Mr. Shadie. Do younger people want to rent a senior center for an event like a wedding or birthday, or does a simple name change and a couple of signs mean increased revenue for the lowly parks department and a more efficient use of a building that still serves the senior population too? Seems to me they’re not wasting money they’re actually creating more demand. I’m pretty sure that’s textbook marketing.
You make several unsupported assertions.
So please provide some numbers – how much more revenue does the city expect to make?
How much more demand does the city expect? And how will increased foot traffic result in more revenue?
Rebranding is all the rage, but without quantifiable measurements of success the city has no way to know the return on this “investment.”
If the city can’t, or won’t, provide the numbers then “rebranding” is just a euphemism for “more spending”.
You are a piece of work. How am I supposed to know the answers to your questions? I’m just an Albany citizen who sees the parks people doing something productive and financially responsible with that building. I do know you don’t live here. Now run along, troll.
PIFFLE
Whether you call it a Community Center or Senior Center, “young people” still aren’t going to rent because it doesn’t have a bar. And since the city owns it, they probably don’t allow alcohol period.
And FYI, I’m “an actual Albany resident”.
I called the folks at Parks & Rec and they do allow alcohol with olcc servers like any other venue.
GS
The Center doesn’t need your approval