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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Deficits loom for senior program

By Alexis Bacharach
Enterprise editor

The Mill Creek Senior Program faces a $7,000 operating deficit in 2009 and a near $15,000 operating deficit in 2010 due to increased rent on space at McCollum Park and North Creek Presbyterian Church.

Program administrators were notified in late November that annual rent for the spaces currently used at the church will jump from nothing to $13,500 in 2009 and to $20,000 in 2010.

While the City Council has agreed to fill next year's funding gap, Lee Harper, the executive director of the Northshore Senior Center -- which operates the local senior program -- finds herself in the difficult position of prioritizing services should cuts be necessary. "All of our classes and services are extremely important; the longer we can keep seniors fit and independent the better," Harper said. "But I do need to look at everything we're doing, prioritize where possible and make sure we're running as efficiently as we can."

Northshore serves more than 1,000 seniors in the Mill Creek area and approximately 3,000 seniors in all of Snohomish County. Services range from recreational classes and social functions to wellness programs, support groups and individualized counseling for seniors as well as caregivers.

Social services are provided at no cost and are intended to draw seniors out of isolation and provide a means of support for caregivers, who, in most cases, are tending to aging relatives and receive no compensation or training.

"It can be very lonely and frightening for these individuals," Social worker Greg Miller said.

Miller oversees caregiver and wellness programs in south Snohomish County through the Mill Creek satellite. He facilitates a number of support groups including an early stage memory loss group that meets once a month, a caregiver support group that meets twice a month and a support group that deals with the challenges of aging that also meets twice a month.

"The goal is to get people networking and show them that they're not alone," he said. "The research is there. Getting seniors involved in activities -- engaged in a community -- is good for their mental well-being and that of their families'."

There are a limited number of classes available to seniors through the city's parks and recreation department, but Northshore is the only organization locally that tailors services specifically for the aging population.

The regional senior center will receive a funding increase from Snohomish County in 2009 of $27,500. One-third of that, or $7,000, will go to the Mill Creek program, but increased operating expenses -- rental fees in particular -- will leave the program short over the next two years unless arrangements can be made with other community organizations for more cost effective spaces that accommodate exercise classes and similar offerings now at North Creek.

"We will look at cuts only as an absolute last resort," Harper said. "Our priority is to find partners in the community, who are willing to step up and help us through this, and I'm confident we can do that."

Northshore raised its annual membership fees this year from $20 to $30 for singles and from $35 to $45 for couples. Meanwhile, seniors have committed to raising more than $12,000 to help offset increased operating expenses.

"They've really stepped up to the plate and taken on an incredibly ambitious goal," Harper said.

However the ongoing effort to get a permanent facility for local seniors has divided the community and may affect fundraising efforts.

The issue has been on people's minds for several years, and the Mill Creek Senior Center Foundation was established two years ago to raise money for a new facility. Board members asked the city for help in 2006 and were turned down overwhelmingly by the council. They visited City Hall again in Sept. asking this time for $2 million to help fund construction of a proposed 11,000-square-foot senior center on a property owned by the Mill Creek Community Association (MCCA).

Concerns about city government partnering with multiple non-profit organizations prompted the formation of yet another committee dedicated to the senior center effort.

The city's Senior Center Advisory Committee -- appointed by Mayor Terry Ryan -- began meeting in October and was instructed to have a list of facility options ready for the council to review by January.

Bill McElroy -- a member of the advisory committee, the foundation and the senior program steering committee -- shared his concerns on Dec. 2 that personal biases among advisory committee members are hindering the groups progress toward identifying potential sites and finance options for a senior center.

"Terry's name is all over this thing; he is the main contact between the county and Northshore, because that's how he wants it; he created the committee; he chairs the committee; and he runs the discussions," McElroy said. "My concern is that we and the council aren't getting all the information."

Ryan said that's just not true, "I offered to be the point of contact because I have a relationship with folks in the County Executive's Office; I'm meeting with the director of the senior center, because she asked me to."

All the fireworks put Harper and other senior center staffers in an awkward position.

Harper sits in the crosshairs as city leaders suggest efficiencies -- perhaps reducing class offerings or at least prioritizing offerings based on demand. From the other side come senior program patrons and volunteers who wag their fingers at city leaders every chance they get.

"I sympathize with everyone's frustrations," Harper said. "You've got the folks trying to fulfill their duty to taxpayers, and you have the people in the trenches who can't begin to rank our services in order of importance ... However the city is in the same boat we are; we're in this together and I'm sure we find the best possible solution together."