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Board approves Benjamin Center RFP after brief debate over using the word “senior”
Summary
The Village Board approved an RFP for the Benjamin Center's architectural design and construction administration. Trustee Stokbrand asked whether the word “senior” should appear in the facility name; village staff said the Senior Resource Center will retain its name while the broader facility will be called the Benjamin Center.
The Shorewood Village Board approved a request for proposals (RFP) for architectural design, construction document services and construction administration for the Benjamin Center.
Trustee Stokbrand asked whether the village should include the word “senior” in the Benjamin Center name to make the facility's purpose clearer. "I just have one question if Elizabeth not really relative to the proposal, but I'm just wondering why we're not using the word senior at all in the name for the Benjamin Center," Stokbrand said.
Elizabeth, speaking as village staff, replied that many senior programs have moved away from the label because of perceived stigma, citing a local example: "Well, it it does have a stigma to it. There have been a lot of, senior programs have been moving away from the word senior. For instance, in Sheboygan, their newly remodeled senior center has been renamed as the Sheboygan Social Club." She said the Senior Resource Center offices will remain inside the Benjamin Center while the larger facility will be called the Benjamin Center and used for prefunction and programming space.
Trustee Stokbrand said transparency was important and worried the omission might confuse community members; staff said the Senior Resource Center name will be retained for those offices. After the exchange the board voted to approve the RFP on a motion from Trustee Stoker, seconded by Trustee Kudo.
The RFP approval authorizes staff to proceed with the procurement process for design and construction administration services; the board did not set a construction schedule or funding appropriation during this meeting.
