By Patrick Sand and Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Exactly one year after the board of the Senior Center of West Seattle grappled publicly with whether to remain independent or be absorbed into the countywide Senior Services, it is moving toward a change in relationship, though perhaps not as sweeping as first considered.
At its regular monthly meeting last Thursday night, the Senior Center board discussed the possibility of offering a lease to Senior Services (which is renaming itself Sound Generations on January 1st).
Unlike some regional centers affiliated with SS, the Senior Center of WS owns its building, renamed earlier this year for longtime executive director Karen Sisson, whose departure from the center – first decried as a firing, later celebrated as a retirement – first brought the potential relationship change to light. SS told us last year that the reason for a change is that “auditors and funders” told them the original relationship model had to change because of issues of “accountability and governability.” At the subsequent town halls (WSB coverage here), there were passionate voices in favor of the WS center maintaining its independence.
As of now, what we heard at last Thursday’s meeting indicates that the center board apparently is no longer considering what was a controversial idea last year, having Senior Services/Sound Generations absorb the center as a “program,” and potentially putting the building into a “land trust.” Board president David Robertson and center executive director Lyle Evans said they had been in contact with SS and other centers and the early concept was no longer what they planned to pursue. Instead, the idea of drawing up a lease is at the forefront.
The board voted Thursday night to create a subcommittee that for starters will create a list of concerns and needs, on both sides, that would have to be taken into account for any lease to be drawn up. The Senior Center would be the landlord, and Senior Services/Sound Generations the tenant.
We had asked Senior Services earlier in the day where the possibility of a different relationship stood, and spokesperson Karen Bystrom replied that they were waiting to see what they will receive once the West Seattle board makes a decision. At the meeting, a few board members mentioned not having heard much from Senior Services since last year’s public “town hall” meetings, which they suggested meant they hadn’t heard enough to consider a sweeping new relationship. Evans and Robertson said their fact-finding was that some other centers were leasing building space to Senior Center for programs; currently, SS handles the administrative services for the West Seattle center and is the employer of its director and staff.
So the board decided to direct the subcommittee to meet to outline terms, conditions, and other key points that could be taken to an attorney to help create a lease they could present to Senior Services. We’ll continue to follow up. The board meetings, meantime, are open to the public, and announced in the center’s newsletters.
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