Two nights ago, we reported on West Seattle’s oldest senior-living complex, The Kenney, being placed into receivership to try to stabilize its financial situation, with court documents showing $13+ million in debt, and vendors having gone unpaid. The court-appointed receiver is SAK West Seattle, an entity of the consulting firm that’s been managing The Kenney since last year, SAK Healthcare, which specializes in “turnaround” for troubled health-care facilities. We spoke with SAK’S CEO Suzanne Koenig, who is based in Illinois, by phone, to ask a few followup questions. She stressed repeatedly throughout our conversation that her goal is to restore the facility to “the old Kenney that it used to be … its former splendor.”

Though a sale is one possible outcome of receivership, and the court has given them the authority to sell it, Koenig said that’s not a foregone conclusion: “(Receivership) could lead to a sale, but it doesn’t have to.” First and foremost, she said, it’s “a tool” to use to “put all the debt on hold” and therefore enabling “things that need to be done” to get done. Areas of attention that Koenig mentioned would include “remodeling some rooms,” repairing elevators, and work on the HVAC system. She said The Kenney will also get “all-new programming,” including programming for memory-care residents, which she said hadn’t been provided previously. She vowed the facility would “improve at all levels.”

As we reported Monday, the court documents filed last week said 66 people are currently living at The Kenney, which is just north of Lincoln Park at 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW. Asked about that number and about The Kenney’s capacity, Koenig didn’t have numbers handy but said she would provide them. She also expressed hope that past residents who moved elsewhere would consider returning: “We want them all to come back.” That also goes for the community groups that had events at The Kenney pre-pandemic: “We want them to come back too.”