Senior Center supports relocating Agency on Aging

Dear Commissioners:

The Flathead Association of Senior Citizens watches with interest, as plans develop to relocate the county’s Agency on Aging operations to a different location. Our interest is based on the need for safe, functional and adequate space to provide services for area seniors.

There have been many proposals for a new AOA building over the years, and like the current proposal, they have always included the idea of combining the Kalispell Senior Center with the AOA under one roof. We think this is a sound idea. It makes sense to combine AOA services with activities designed to promote health and wellness and provide social opportunities — all necessary elements in helping seniors maintain their independence and quality of life.

In a joint facility, seniors would be able to not only enjoy communal meals and receive needed information and assistance services from AOA staff, but also participate in essential physical, mental and social activities.

Additionally, joining with AOA would eliminate the multiple challenges facing the Kalispell Senior Center:

v The building is inaccessible to area seniors with mobility issues who could greatly benefit from the programs. It would be prohibitively expensive to bring it up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

v Parking is very limited, which also limits participation.

v The building is very old and in constant need of costly repairs. Although the county owns the building, maintenance is the responsibil ity of our association. The needed repairs drain association resources, limiting the funds available for programming.

v The main building and the two rental units have mold, asbestos and lead paint issues, all of which may be affecting the health of our clientele. The county allows the association to keep the rental income in exchange for managing the units. The larger of the two units is now vacant, but we may not be able to re-rent if we decide that the liability risk is too great, based on hazard testing and remediation costs, which would result in a loss of $8,400 per year in income to the association.

v Inaccessibility and known health hazards of all these buildings are a liability to the association and the county.

Unfortunately, the present proposal does not include adequate space to support a combined AOA and Senior Center. There is not enough room to operate the kinds of programs that will keep seniors active and involved. The only potentially multifunctional space is the dining area, and it is insufficient to accommodate the variety of important activities the Kalispell Senior Center offers now. Many of our activities occur simultaneously and some, like art, computer training, massage therapy, reading and jigsaw puzzle areas require dedicated space.

One of the most popular activities our Senior Center offers is our exercise program, which requires adequate gym type flooring and an elevated stage area for a group leader. Our main fundraising asset at our Senior Center is our wood dance floor, which is used by numerous dance groups, exercise classes and group rentals.

Each time county commissioners study the idea of moving AOA and Kalispell Senior Center services to another location, it always seems to be shelved. We are concerned that may be the case this time as well. We understand the proposed building does not include adequate space for the Kalispell Senior Center because of cost constraints. Further, Commissioner Krueger stated at the commissioners’ meeting on April 18 that he would like to see the Kalispell Senior Center property put up for sale to help pay for the new AOA building, even though the current plan doesn’t include room for the activities we provide. Who would want to buy an old church and two rental units, which are in need of a major facelift and come with known lead paint, asbestos and mold issues? The value of the property is ... the land value less demolition costs in our opinion.

Over the years, our association has worked hard to maintain this property, which the county so graciously leased to us for $1 per year. We believe we have done a good job in living up to county expectations, but as the building has aged, so has our membership. Last year for the first time, we asked for assistance from the county to help with major building repairs, but were turned down. We haven’t had a written lease agreement since 1999, so our current board of directors operates with no clear guidance from the county.

Our board of directors fully supports the idea of moving AOA offices to a location that offers room for expansion, as our aging population increases in a facility, which adequately addresses all the health, safety, and configuration concerns of AOA staff and clientele. Being a part of a county services campus has its merits, but we don’t see the area proposed south of the Earl Bennett building being able to serve our senior population adequately. It offers limited parking and no ability at present to expand except by adding a second story, both of which concern our seniors. We wonder why the county couldn’t develop a county campus north of the fairgrounds, which could include an indoor sports center as proposed by Jed Fisher. We think the extension office with 4-H could also be included in the complex. As the fairgrounds develop, it would add additional opportunities to our seniors, such as a walking path around the fairgrounds, and a generational vegetable/flower garden.

We believe the benefits of locating a senior facility north of the fairgrounds would not cause a maintenance issue, as Commissioner Krueger alluded to on April 18. Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell has confirmed that fairgrounds staff would be available, at no extra charge, to do all the major maintenance for AOA if the new building is located on the north property. That includes snow removal, routine repairs (even electrical and plumbing). It would not include janitorial or repairs requiring a high degree of expertise (like a major remodel).

We also believe that the advantages of having an AOA building in proximity to the County Health Department would be minimal. Some of our seniors have on occasion used Health Department services, but most, if not all, use their own physicians under the Medicare and other supplemental health insurance programs. We have not heard from those seniors who use the County Health Department services that there are transportation issues in getting them there.

Our directors vigorously support the meal program remaining under the same roof as the AOA. We believe the program operated in a county kitchen, can better serve our senior community rather than using a contract kitchen when it comes to flexibility in the menu and cost controls due to budget shortfalls. We would not support using an outside contract for meal service to make for additional space for a senior center at the Agency on Aging facility or leaving the kitchen in place at its current location, independent of the AOA office.

We understand commissioner concerns over hiring any additional county employees, but we think it is beneficial for commissioners to consider hiring an activity director to manage the county’s senior-citizen wellness programs with responsibilities of coordinating activities, programs and transportation for seniors within the county.

Supporting the senior community of the Flathead Valley is vital to the economic future and well-being of Flathead County as county residents age. We receive phone calls from senior citizens all the time, who are planning to move to this county from other areas, bringing with them their retirement income. Based on the 2000 Census, Flathead County’s 60 and older population was 17.3 percent of our total population. By 2015, it is expected that Flathead County’s 60 and older population will be 23.2 percent of our total population, according to the Montana State Plan on Aging, well above the national average.

We believe that keeping our seniors healthy and active is a wise use of taxpayer dollars as it affects us now and over time. Our members are watching and continue to be very concerned about the direction our county is headed, especially with the recent vote to not move forward on applying for the Community Development Block Grant. We believe it is imperative that Flathead County be ready to serve senior citizens and help them continue to be valued contributing members of our community.

Pearson is president of the Flathead Association of Senior Citizens.