City of Shelbyville officials and members of the senior citizen center board met to review a proposal from Cooper Steel to buy the city-owned senior center property and a nearby corner lot and to discuss options for relocating the center.

The city attorney said Cooper Steel first approached the city last summer about buying the senior center parcel and expressed interest in the adjacent corner lot. “They wanted to buy the senior citizen center,” the city attorney said, adding that Cooper representatives had previously offered to help the senior center locate and renovate a new facility but had not committed a dollar amount.

The discussion focused on three matters the group identified at the start: a brief history of the interactions with Cooper Steel, an assessment of the current situation for the senior center, and next steps if the parties decide to move forward. Board members said the senior center has struggled with membership and program duplication since COVID and that a newer facility could help attract younger seniors and broaden services.

Board members and staff reviewed appraisal and price estimates presented at the meeting. Participants discussed two privately held parcels near Colorado Boulevard identified by the senior board as preferred relocation sites (one referenced as owned by Jody Lambert and another by Dr. Kachemoszka) and the corner parcel Cooper Steel originally offered to buy. The senior board described an aspiration for a roughly 10,000-square-foot new building; staff and council members estimated a 10,000-square-foot facility could cost roughly $1 million to $1.5 million to construct, with additional six-figure expenses expected for site work, parking and ADA compliance.

Meeting attendees discussed likely proceeds and the gap to new construction. The city attorney said appraisals on the senior center parcel and the vacant lot were in the packet, and that a combined appraisal figure the city had seen was about $1.1 million for the parcels the city could sell. Board members and a council member referenced an assessment-based offer from a private landowner for four parcels that was described as roughly a little over $400,000 (an assessment-based figure from 2015 was mentioned), but participants clarified that any final sale price and structure would require negotiation.

Council members said the city does not have a million dollars in unrestricted funds to close the construction gap and that any substantial city contribution would face scrutiny and require council approval. One council member summarized the city’s position: there is no pressure to sell the property and no council consensus to commit large sums of tax money without a clear, formal request from the senior board.

Senior board members said they would prefer two adjacent parcels that collectively would support the board’s program and parking needs and outlined a development model that could include leased commercial space—examples given were a clinic and a coffee shop—to generate operating revenue for the center.

The group agreed on next steps rather than taking immediate action. Staff was asked to contact Cooper Steel to confirm whether the company remains interested in purchasing the property; the senior center board was asked to hold a formal vote identifying which parcel(s) and what level of request (sale proceeds, donation, or other structure) it would present to the city. The city attorney advised that a written motion or formal board vote would be required before the full city council would authorize staff to negotiate with Cooper Steel.

No motions were made and no formal votes were taken during the meeting. Participants repeatedly emphasized that any sale would require the senior board’s explicit, documented request and that the city is under no obligation to sell.

Board members and councilors discussed potential funding strategies including a capital campaign, grant applications, private donations and limited city participation. Several participants suggested a special meeting to produce formal numbers and a written proposal from the senior board so the council could consider a direction. If the senior board returns with a clear request and a vote in favor of relocation, staff would present those documents to the full city council for authorization to engage Cooper Steel in negotiation or to consider alternatives.

The meeting closed with the senior board agreeing to reconvene, prepare a written proposal and vote on specific parcels and financing approaches; staff agreed to try to confirm Cooper Steel’s continued interest before the senior board’s next meeting.