Saratoga News
Cover Story
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Saratoga Area Senior Center Council board member George Bunyard told the Saratoga City Council very few complaints have been received about the center.
Dee Briefing
Senior Center exec Genie Dee answers questions at council special meeting
By Shannon Burkey
The Saratoga Area Senior Center Council, which has been at the center of controversy lately, met with the city council on Feb. 7 to discuss its past year's accomplishments, ask the city for funding for the upcoming year and address recent allegations regarding the senior center.
Several longtime members and volunteers left the center because they said it is no longer a welcoming environment, largely due to the management style of the executive director, Genie Dee.
Although both the city council and the city manager have received complaints over the past year and a half, according to SASCC liaison, Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, the board has failed to address the issues, claiming it has not received any complaints.
"I'm very concerned about SASCC because of the struggles that are going on," Waltonsmith said. "My concern is that we have heard often that people are fearful and that there had been reprisals for speaking out, and that is not the way for a nonprofit that is being funded by a public agency to be perceived."
Although the board said it will do outreach to those with unresolved complaints, the chief financial officer, George Bunyard, said he feels the number of complaints is miniscule compared to the number of members; he called those who have complained "selfish and sinful."
"My main concern is not the turmoil caused by 10 people who have written letters. That is 10 out of 800--that is 1 1/4 percent," Bunyard said. "My concern is there has been major damage done to SASCC. We need to be attractive to potential investors. But we have become very ugly in the mind of some investors who could contribute to us in some way, and that is because a handful of people have stirred up this turmoil."
Councilwoman Kathleen King, who said she heard the strongest complaint from a 16-year volunteer who recently quit, strongly disagreed.
"It doesn't matter if it's one complaint or 10 or 12; there are issues. So what is going to be done to address the complaints?" she asked.
Waltonsmith agreed, adding that it is not a matter of how many have complained, but who has complained.
"These people are former workers, volunteers and members. They are people that have been pushed out and are highly useful. This is not just one person who came in and had one bad experience--these are people who have been very involved," she said.
In addition to addressing the complaints, the board went over its accomplishments for the past year, which included adding six new classes and activities, adding 170 members since July, and increasing its units of service by 3 1/2 percent.
Each year the city partially funds the senior center, and this year the board asked the council for $62,000 in general support for the senior center, up $44,000 from last year; $33,000 in community development block grant funding; $16,000 in general support for the adult day care program; and $30,000 in community development block grant funding for the expansion of a pantry in the kitchen area. Community development block grant money comes from federal funds, allocated by the Housing and Community Development Act. The money is given to various communities throughout the United States from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The board is also asking for a five-year contract renewal when its contract is up in June.
With SASCC asking for what Waltonsmith called a significant increase, the council felt it needed more specific numbers of use by Saratogans.
"Are Saratogans using the center?" King asked the board. "I can't get a feel of if that is happening or not. Anything we do in the recreation area of the city should be based on what Saratoga's use is."
Although the board gave statistics claiming the number of units in activities is up--units being people--Waltonsmith said it appears to be down in most classes.
"It seems that the classes are being used less, except for line dancing," she said. "In my mind that is not a core activity. You are having less use in general, and line dancing is carrying your numbers."
The council also questioned whether the people participating in the line dancing class are from Saratoga or even seniors.
With the problems shrouding SASCC, the council decided to convene an ad hoc session to discuss the items of council concern. The council would like to see more specific numbers and would also like to explore the possibility of adding one or two council members to the SASCC board.
"I love them to death, but they are off on the wrong track," Waltonsmith said. "They have a highly expensive director, and maybe their costs are too high, so they are looking to the city to rescue them."
