Saratoga, California Since
1955
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Senior Center will relocate to Prospect Road property. Little surprise, but some concern among seniors City purchases church site. (By Kate Carter) Members of the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council (SASCC) received word May 29 of their move to new city property on Prospect Road with little surprise but with some concern. Council executive director Sean O'Leary said that he, city officials and staff have tried to reassure the seniors that it is better in the long run for the 23-year-old senior center to relocate. The move would be from space on Allendale Avenue near the civic center to the site of Grace Methodist Church, the $4.5 million purchase the city hopes to finish early next month. But O'Leary acknowledged that it might not be until improvements to the future site are made and the move is completed that some will be convinced. "They are a lot more specialized and a lot more resistant to change," O'Leary said of the seniors. "It'll be a real challenge to make our board happy. But there's no future for us here. We have to think 20 or 30 years down the road." The senior council rents the city-owned property for a nominal fee each year. The former board, which was honored for its year of service at last week's general meeting of the 650-member organization, had approved the city's plan to move the senior center to the other site, which it will also rent for a nominal fee. The 2.6-acre site, which includes four buildings totaling 11,000 square feet, would also house some youth programs and a public forum space. Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith announced the move as one that the city was asking the senior council to make. However, the move is scheduled to go forward, as it has the board's approval and has been included in the city's bid for purchase, with or without the approval of the membership. "You have a tremendous job to do next year," Waltonsmith said. "We want you to know that the city council is behind you. You're part of a larger, major change that's going on in the city. We're asking you to gear up. I know you're up for it, but it's a little nerve-wracking, too." The new board, elected and sworn in at the same meeting, will have the task this year of working with the city to make the location comfortable and the move from its current 7,200-square-foot, one-building location smooth. City Manager Dave Anderson said the move could be made early next year. O'Leary said that the city's plan, and the board's approval, to move the senior center to the church was instrumental in the church's decision to sell to the city. The city was among about 11 candidates interested in purchasing the site, Anderson said, but the church particularly wanted to sell to a buyer that would use it to benefit the community. Those in favor of the move see it as an opportunity for seniors to have more space and more control over that space - they must now vacate their current space on weekends and after 5 p.m. every weekday. In addition, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department's Westside Substation will move from its current space in the Saratoga Avenue post office to the old senior center, giving it the additional room and parking that it needs, Anderson said. The department will rent the space at market rate and will cover Saratoga, Cupertino and Los Altos Hills from the location, he said. Those opposed to the changes are concerned that the new location, far to the north of the current one, could reduce senior membership in the council and would not be comfortable enough to meet the seniors' needs. In particular, those involved with the council's Adult Care Center are worried that the new site will not allow it to meet the standards necessary for receiving accreditation. The center provides weekday care to about 28 seniors. "This is not a happy move for us," said Peggy Corr, one of the original founders of the senior council, "but then, change isn't. It's going to be hard to give up the current site. I hope it will work out." Anderson and Mayor Nick Streit fielded questions and concerns like those from seniors at the meeting and tried to assure them that the new location will be upgraded to meet their needs and that the care center won't move until its new space is fully accredited. Anderson said that the council this week will be hiring an architect to review the new site and determine what needs to be done to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other restrictions. "We're going to start the planning process before we even own it," Streit said. "We're committed to make it right for you. Now, SASCC will have its own campus that we can make into something more than you've ever had before." Remodeling, expected to cost between $300,000 and $500,000, he said, could be completed by the fall. Money for the purchase of the property and the remodel are coming from a variety of city funds, but mostly from its large discretionary reserves, Anderson said. With only non-discretionary reserves remaining, the city will become "just like any other city," he said. Anderson and Streit said that neighbors near the new site were informed and are supportive of its new use. They also said that the city will conduct a traffic study of Prospect Road near the site and determine any safety and traffic improvements that could be made there, such as adding a left-turn lane headed into the site. Anderson also said that the city has worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which has provided money for the current senior center, and received its approval for the move, as long as the city uses a portion of the HUD money to improve the new site. He also said that all of the senior center's kitchen appliances will be moved to the new site's kitchen. The council's vice president of finance, Philip Gould, announced some additional concerns about its cash flow. The council operates using the income from $900,000 of investment principal, which it isn't allowed to touch. Because of the economic downturn, the principal is bringing in less money, and, if the trend doesn't improve, the council will not have enough money to function in a matter of years, he said. "There are dark clouds on the horizon," he said. According to Gould, the council will be embarking on a fundraising effort to actively seek additional donations. New council president Duffy Elgart asked the membership to look at the two pieces of news as "challenges, not changes." He said that he and the rest of last year's board approved the new site because "it could be a very beautiful facility," and added that he is up to the task of making it so. "I think it's going to be a real challenge to keep everybody happy and to maintain membership," he said. "But once it's completed, it might be instrumental in building our membership." |
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