Supporters urge Mayor Pitts, council to renew Ajax Turner Senior Center lease

Three speakers addressed the council April 30 urging the city to renew the Ajax Turner Senior Center nonprofit’s lease and to continue funding services for seniors.

Kyle Shannon said he and John Crowe had been retained by the center and that the organization planned to abide by the lease timeline while seeking a new location. "The senior center anticipates to hopefully keep a clear channel of communication with the mayor of council and all parties involved as the senior center seeks to find a new location and continue its mission," he said.

Dr. Gregory Fryer, who said he serves on the center’s board, told the council the city had given the center 90 days’ notice to terminate the lease, which he said ends June 30. He asked Mayor Pitts and council members to renew the lease and to fund the nonprofit for the next year, warning that moving the center under Parks and Recreation could create layoffs and raise costs by replacing volunteers with paid staff.

"Mayor Pitts, please renew the lease to move the Clarksville property to the Ajax Turner Center," Fryer said, adding the center has operated for about 60 years. He argued the nonprofit’s volunteers and community programs — including meal and outreach activities described during his remarks — would suffer without continued support.

Lois Greider, a long-time supporter, said the decision felt abrupt and asked why the mayor had not attended the center’s board meeting before issuing the eviction. "Don't make destroying this center your legacy," she told the council, recounting the center’s six decades of service and volunteer programs that support seniors and community members.

Council members did not immediately reverse the decision during the meeting. The record shows expressions of appreciation for city departments and a reminder that the council would meet next on the regular schedule; no vote or directive renewing the lease was recorded in the April 30 session.