The ACCOA “Sunrise Center” Grand Opening!

On July 18, 2025 the long-awaited grand opening of Alcona County’s Sunrise Center took place.  Even though a development of this scale often takes far more time to be built – our community was blessed with a development team that truly went above and beyond in making this a reality within the deadlines placed before them.

A Truly Patriotic Beginning…

The ceremonies of the grand opening began with a warm welcome by the Alcona County Commissioner liaison to the ACCOA, Carolyn Brummund.  She also was the “master of ceremonies” for the raising of the American Flag & singing of the national anthem. While the flag was being raised by USAF veteran Greg Anderson.  Alcona County resident Kris Anderson (Greg’s wife) sang a beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.  They also had the help of a local cub scout for the raising of the flag.

Many people gathered outside the new Sunrise Center to enjoy the grand opening festivities.

Wendy Bain (ACCOA Executive Director), Phil Potter (ACCOA Board President), Carolyn Brummund (Alcona Cty. Commissioner Liaison to the ACCOA Board), and Kris Anderson (Alcona resident & singer of the National Anthem) await the beginning of the grand opening ceremonies.

USAF Veteran Greg Anderson & a local scout begin to raise the US Flag over the Sunrise Center for the first time.

Following the flag & national anthem, ACCOA Executive Director Wendy Bain and current ACCOA Board President Phil Potter cut the ribbon as the last formality in welcoming the general public to the center.  From there, the public was welcomed into the voluminous new gymnasium area for a welcome message from Mr. Potter and former State Senator Jim Stamas.

Just after the ribbon cutting, the ACCOA leadership leads the way into the reception area.

Grand opening attendees await the introductory speeches – there was standing room only as well over 100 people attended!

A truly warm welcome…

After a warm welcome from Board President Phil Potter, giving due to all of the development construction manager Andy Shaw of Andy Shaw Development & Construction and the architectural vision behind the beautiful premises, Jonathan Lee of Jonathan Lee Architects.  The two firms were instrumental in delivering the highest quality of building, and a unique natural light design of the highest quality and in the shortest amount of time possible.  Everyone involved truly went above and beyond.  These entities worked closely with the board and with the ACCOA Executive Director, Wendy Bain to make all of this come together for the community here in Alcona County and to all of Northeast Michigan which can benefit from this unique and one-of-a-kind development.

ACCOA Board President Phil Potter welcomes the crowd to the brand new Sunrise Center.

Architect Jonathan Lee acknowledges the applause of the audience.

Project construction manager Andy Shaw acknowledges the applause of the audience.

ACCOA Executive Director Wendy Bain also acknowledges the cheering audience.

After giving credit to the parties involved, Mr. Potter welcomed Jim Stamas to the podium as he was one of the key figures in obtaining the grant funds to make this development possible.

Former state senator Jim Stamas gives a short speech at the Sunrise Center grand opening.

The public gets a look around…

After the formalities, the general public was invited to take an unguided look around the beautiful new premises as well as meet in the new congregate dining area for some food & refreshments.

The crowd eagerly explores the new senior community center.

It was such a great experience for us to see this building come to life!  Every room and hallway were filled with the buzz of excitement as all of the people in attendance took a look at these respective visions came to fruition.

Every single room was filled… From the gymnasium, new boardroom, tech center adjacent to the dining hall, the game room, and the voluminous new fitness center…  It is evident that attention to detail had been important in the construction of this center, and the mood of the day was positively reflective of this!

The Sunrise Center Game-Room

The Sunrise Center fitness center.

The Sunrise Center banquet facilities which will be where congregate meals will be held. But, it will also be rented out for wedding receptions, banquets, events, and all kinds of events.

The Sunrise Center/ACCOA Board Room

The multimedia, all-purpose room adjacent to the dining hall.

Services are open to the public…

Know that the Sunrise Center’s services are fully open to the public now!  You can rent the congregate dining room for events, banquets, wedding receptions, and more.  The exercise and fitness areas are ready and waiting with affordable membership and day-use fees for residents and non-residents alike.  The game room is also open and ready for fun!  You can find out more about all of this here on our services page.

If you weren’t able to attend, please do not hesitate to check out our new YouTube channel where we have a recording of the ceremonies. You can find the video below!

Reach out anytime and let us know if you have any questions!