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Council hears proposal to host Southwest Georgia Council on Aging senior classes at Thornton Gym; vote deferred
Summary
Albany staff and Izzy Sadler, executive director of the Southwest Georgia Council on Aging, briefed the commission on a temporary MOU to host senior classes at Thornton Gym while the council relocates; commissioners asked for MOU details and schedule information and will consider the item at a future meeting.
City staff presented a proposed short pilot memorandum of understanding to host Southwest Georgia Council on Aging (SWGCOA) senior classes at Thornton Gym while the council’s current building becomes unavailable.
Izzy Sadler, executive director of SWGCOA, described the organization’s role as the designated area agency on aging for a 14‑county service area and said the agency has shifted to a lower‑overhead model that emphasizes provider partnerships. She said the council’s administrative offices will remain, but the current 45,000‑square‑foot facility is costly to maintain and SWGCOA is seeking a short pilot (through May) to continue 10 exercise classes and other activities at a city gym. “We are a designated area agency on aging,” Sadler said, and added the move is intended to reallocate facility costs back into programs.
Commissioners asked about schedules, conflicts with youth or recreation programs, and whether underused school facilities had been considered as alternatives. Staff said the pilot would prioritize existing city programming (for example, scheduled summer camps) and that staff would provide class schedules and the proposed MOU text before a vote at a subsequent meeting. One commissioner asked that staff also evaluate school properties and other community sites before approving a longer term arrangement.
No formal action was taken; staff said they plan to return the MOU to the commission for a vote the following week after commissioners and staff have had time to review the documents and confirm scheduling constraints.
Next steps: staff to circulate the proposed MOU and class schedule and return to the commission for action at the next scheduled special call meeting.
