Staff photo / Dan Pompili Austintown Senior Center Director Jim Henshaw stands with Bob, a Leonberger show dog, who is co-owned by Henshaw and Assistant Director Jessica Ricker. Those who attend the center or come there to get warm during extremely cold weather may be greeted by Bob or his twin, Fluffy. The center is open 24/7 for warming purposes while cold weather persists. Mahoning County residents need only contact the Austintown Fire Department if they need to go to the senior center.

AUSTINTOWN — The Austintown Senior Center is closed, but that doesn’t mean it is unavailable for those who really need it.

During this extreme cold, the facility has halted regular operations, but it serves as a warming station for the township and Mahoning County.

“I remember that last year we had some people use it, but we have not had anyone come in so far,” said Assistant Director Jessica Ricker. “Tonight will be the true test.”

The National Weather Service issued an extreme cold warning across Mahoning County into this morning, and temperatures were expected to settle somewhere between -10°F and -15°F with wind chills as cold as -25°F overnight.

The facility has been closed for the past couple days because of the extreme cold. The senior center follows the school district’s lead, Ricker said.

“We figure if it’s too cold for the children to be going to school it’s also too cold for the seniors to be out,” she said. “And they know that, so if they see on TV that the school district has closed for the day, we’re going to be closed too.”

But anyone can come to the senior center to get warm. The facility is open for warming purposes 24/7 until the cold spell breaks.

“If they have no power or no place to go and they need heat, they can call the Austintown Fire Department and the fire department will call us and we’ll open it up,” Ricker said. She said senior center staff, firefighters, police officers and even township trustees have staffed the senior center to ensure residents from anywhere can be safe and warm.

Those who come in out of the cold will have access to most of the facility’s amenities, including the TV, library, cards, games, a pool table, and may even doze off if they need to be there for a while.

“Most people usually just come in to charge their phones, maybe use the bathroom, hang out for a little bit until they find somewhere else to go and stay,” Ricker said.

She said the facility also opens in the summer for residents without air conditioning to cool down.

She said if the facility loses power, Mahoning County makes a generator available to ensure the senior center can remain open to serve those in need.

Director Jim Henshaw said the safety and warmth is not just for humans either.

“One of the concerns we always hear is ‘but I won’t leave my pet behind,'” he said. “We say go ahead and bring your pet. We’ll make accommodations.”

In fact, those who come to the senior center may find themselves warming up beneath the weight of a strange kind of blanket. Two very friendly Leonbergers (think: St. Bernard) named Bob and Fluffy, are well known to the center’s regulars, and are often in attendance if Ricker has to come open the facility during extreme weather events.