Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Senior Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University Place favors amending senior center lease and a short strategic plan to sustain services
Summary
Council heard a status update on senior recreation and the lease with Community Connection Place, discussed building maintenance, parking and grant prospects, and signaled support for a 2–3 year amended lease and a short strategic plan while exploring partnership opportunities with the new SHAG senior housing project.
City staff and council members on July 6 discussed options to sustain senior recreation services after the current lease with Community Connection Place (CCP) ends later this year.
Public Works Director Jack Ecklund reviewed progress on earlier council goals and said staff expects to complete a consolidated senior‑services web page by the end of the month. He explained that the city's lease with CCP technically could continue month‑to‑month but that staff recommends either an amendment to clarify expectations or an RFP to explore alternative providers. "We can... go and do an at least amendment to modify things if appropriate, or we could... do an RFP to open the door for more providers," Ecklund said.
Ecklund flagged three practical challenges: the senior center's aging building and maintenance needs, constrained parking that will be tighter as nearby development (SHAG) comes online, and limited financial resources for both CCP and the city. He also reported CCP tracked roughly 2–66 to 470 participants per month across events in 2025 and a total of about 4,200 participant instances for the year, noting sign‑in sheets likely undercount repeat and non‑signing attendees.
Councilmembers emphasized continuity of service for seniors. "Sheila... has the hearts of those seniors that go there," Councilmember Figueroa said, urging the council to avoid disrupting routines. Councilmembers and staff broadly favored negotiating an amended lease for a limited term (council discussion suggested two to three years) with clearer performance expectations, while simultaneously using that time to develop a longer‑range strategic plan for senior programming, address parking and accessibility, and pursue grant funding (members cited the possibility of public or private grants to fund transportation such as a van).
Council member Grassi noted the demographic stake: "This is 19.5% of our residents in University Place — 6,800 people fall into 65 and over in our community," underscoring the scale of the service need.
Next steps: staff and the city attorney will meet with CCP, pursue negotiations on an amended lease with preconditions, and return to council in the fall with proposed terms and recommended next steps for a strategic plan and funding options.
