LEWISTON — With input from senior citizens, the city hopes to have the armory ready for senior programs in June, City Administrator Ed Barrett said Friday.

Senior citizens are invited to a meeting at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Multi-Purpose Center to talk about moving from the Multi-Purpose Center to the Central Avenue armory.

School Department Superintendent Bill Webster is hoping to get into the Multi-Purpose Center earlier than June. He said that would allow Lewiston Regional Technical Center students to do some of the renovations before students arrive next fall. Using LRTC students would give them a learning experience and save taxpayers money, Webster said.

On Tuesday night, the Lewiston City Council voted to give the Multi-Purpose Center to the Lewiston School Department to help relieve overcrowding in city schools because of a growing student population.

“I was very pleased that the council voted this way,” Webster said. “I want to recognize the legwork done by Ed Barrett, for the council considering alternatives and helping make the seniors feel comfortable.”

For years, the building has been shared by city programs and the School Department. On one side of the building is Longley Elementary School; the other end is used by Lewiston seniors and other programs. With the city’s student population growing at 100 students per year, the Longley school needs classroom space, and Webster plans to create a citywide prekindergarten center, which would require use of the whole building.

As Barrett meets with engineers and seniors to discuss designing the armory’s senior center, Webster is meeting with his staff to finalize the interior design of turning the Multi-Purpose Center into a larger school and a prekindergarten center.

How much can be done, and whether the prekindergarten center can accommodate all of the city’s 4-year-olds, will depend on the budget and when the building is turned over to the School Department, Webster said.

The armory is underused during the day, space is available and using the city building will cost less than buying the Knights of Columbus building on East Avenue, Barrett said.

It will cost about $380,000 to create a senior center in the armory, which includes building an elevator so seniors can avoid stairs, and creating more parking. That compares to the $400,000 to $600,000 cost of the K of C building, Barrett said.

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