Senior-center survey shows demand for balance classes and more program variety; board tasks subcommittee to make recommendations

Parks staff presented results from a recent senior-center member survey with strong response rates (staff reported about 487–500 respondents). Staff said services and health classes scored highly and participation is strongest among residents ages 65–84; the majority of survey respondents live in Keller.

Program priorities from the survey placed balance/exercise classes at the top (about 31% ranked it as their most important program), followed by pickleball (about 24%). Staff described capacity problems: high‑demand classes such as balance once filled to room capacity (70 attendees) with waiting lists, prompting the department to add a second back‑to‑back session to increase weekly seats from 70 to about 140 for that offering.

The board discussed scheduling and access concerns, including resident priority registration that limits nonresidents' access; staff said they can send the survey to former members and program registrants to broaden feedback. Board leadership asked the senior-subcommittee to meet with staff, distill findings and present concrete recommendations to the full board and council (target Feb or March) so the city can respond to membership expectations and consider staffing or scheduling changes.

Staff said limitations are often physical (facility size, gym availability) and staffing; volunteers support many programs but cannot perform certain duties (first aid or payment handling). The board asked the subcommittee to propose practical steps—scheduling changes, volunteer use, program shifts, or budget requests—and to return with a plan for community communication.