Fresno senior citizens upset over where they work out

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- More than a dozen senior citizens gathered Wednesday to speak out about a move, that's disrupting their exercise routine.

Jesse Rojas said, "We feel upset because we feel we are being moved into an unsafe and unsuitable new location in the center here and we have not been asked for any input."

Rojas and several other seniors meet regularly to exercise at the Fresno Adult School's facility inside Manchester Center. The students say they were recently told, they'll be relocating into a new space.

"There's no opportunity for people we feel, with handicaps and physical limitations to be able to exit in case of an emergency, so that's one of our concerns," Rojas said.

The group says the new space does not have multiple access doors or the visibility of the old space provided. Maxine Stewart has been going to exercise class for more than 30 years and is not happy over the change.

Stewart said, "We're not going to sit back and do nothing."

She says seniors look forward to social interaction and an open environment to exercise and stay young. Fresno Unified says they've done their best to get the students input, but can only do so much.

Fresno Adult School Principal Andre Pecin said, "Because we are a tenant, we're at the mall's will to move us if there is a tenant that needs to move with the space we are at. So they moved Cal Trans because the spot Cal Trans is currently in, they want to put a retail space."

Construction is underway on the space and officials say they're unable to open up the space seniors want due to support beams already in place.

Despite the controversy, senior citizens will continue to work out in their current space until next month, when they move across the way.