The new Summit Center also abolished its $30 per year membership fees, to make the center more welcoming. There were many seniors who paid the fee but never came, and some who came but didn’t pay.

But perhaps the biggest change has been the addition of new classes.

Among the most popular has been an exercise class, with six sessions per week now and three more planned to begin in January.

It “keeps the joints moving,” participant Gerri Horvat said, plus it’s an excuse to socialize.

And other people pushing you is really the key to staying committed to the program, agreed Eleanor West, another PALS exerciser. She also appreciates VINE taking over at the Summit Center.

“Before, it was just going downhill,” she said.

From tai-chi to theater

From classes in the Chinese art of tai-chi to bike rides to theater trips, the Summit Center is taking a throw-it-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks approach.

The slow-motion martial art appears to be popular, while a water exercise class is “waiting to catch on,” O’Sullivan said.

Likewise, while a few core bikers have gone on outings, cycling amateurs appear to be staying away — even though the Summit Center provides the transportation and the bike.

There are plenty of educational offerings as well, including the lunch n’ learn and healthy breakfast series of talks. And an Alcoholics Anonymous group is “bursting at the seams,” O’Sullivan said.

Next month, former state Sen. John Hottinger is scheduled to talk about depression.

The Greater Mankato United Way, a longtime funder of both VINE and the Summit Center, is happy with the transition.

The United Way has consistently given the Summit Center about $69,000 a year, not including an extra $10,000 to help VINE with the transition, President Laura Bowman said.

She acknowledged the United Way believed changes were necessary to the way the Summit Center used to be managed.