The Orcas Island Senior Center has a handsome new van to transport members.

This $60,085 Chevrolet Aerolite mini-bus, which is ADA certified, carries eight passengers, and has a lift for wheelchairs as well as two wheelchair stations.

Decals on the white exterior identify the van as a senior center vehicle. The interior is gray and mauve.

The center acquired the van with a Washington State Department of Transportation grant and a 20 percent matching contribution from the estate of Karin Hart-Fuhring and John Fuhring.

Van service for seniors who have no other way to get to the center’s twice-weekly lunches is free. Off-island van trips for recreational activities sponsored by the Senior Center and for doctor appointments in Anacortes, Mount Vernon, Bellingham, and Seattle involve a small fee.

Members make van reservations by calling the senior center in advance: 376-2677.

On May 30, Marla Johns, the center’s services coordinator, sent this email to the center’s advisory committee members:

“I just returned to the office after picking up our new van. I was welcomed by a group of seniors who promptly loaded up and took it for a spin. It is a beautiful rig and will fit our island’s needs wonderfully. I urge you all to come take a look at it.”