Two nonprofits have reached an agreement that would allow both seniors and preschoolers use of the Haines Senior Center, but it will be up to the Haines Borough Assembly to decide whether it will accept the joint proposal.
Chilkat Valley Preschool and Southeast Senior Services this week signed a memorandum of understanding that supports shared use of an expanded Senior Center. Under the agreement, Chilkat Valley Preschool would provide initial funding of $50,000 to go toward the construction of a 1,000-square-foot addition to the building.
“We have worked very, very hard to find common ground,” said Susan Tandy, a member of the working group comprised of senior center users, Chilkat Valley Preschool representatives, Southeast Senior Services representatives and borough public facilities director Brad Ryan.
“The critical point is that we all walked away from the table in agreement with the plans,” Tandy added.
Users of the center initially balked at sharing the facility, concerned that a reduction in space would cut into building activities. “The overwhelming majority of seniors who use the center are now in agreement with the addition,” Tandy said.
Under the agreement, the current space would be maintained for senior programs, provided Southeast Senior Services continues to rent the facility at the current monthly rate of $800.
Chilkat Valley Preschool would manage rentals of the facility, turning that revenue over to the borough, which would be responsible for paying the utilities. As an incentive, the borough would pay the preschool 25 percent of rental fees – excluding Southeast Senior Services – for its management of the facility.
The borough would continue to provide major maintenance on the facility, and allow the preschool to stay in its current home at the Human Resources Building through June 30, 2017, pending construction of the addition.
Preschool treasurer Kat Cheney and Southeast Senior Services program manager Cindy Jackson offered the joint agreement to the assembly during public comment at Tuesday’s meeting, but assembly members didn’t take up the issue.
It’s unclear if the assembly will go along with the proposal, though facilities director Ryan said he has been trying to keep them apprised of the working group’s progress. Ryan said he believes the agreement is fair for all parties.
“I don’t have the authority to say that’s what we’re going to do,” Ryan said. “I personally think (the conditions) are reasonable. Will the assembly think they are reasonable? That is an assembly decision.”
If the center’s rentals are managed effectively, the utilities shouldn’t end up costing the borough any money, Ryan said. “The preschool should make money on their management of it, which takes me out of having to rent it out and go over there and promote it.”
Based on an estimate from the company responsible for the senior center’s siding design, the 1,000-square-foot addition would cost between $200 and $350 per square foot, Ryan said.
“If people really get behind this, I think it will be pretty easy to fundraise for that and get a matching grant from (the Rasmuson Foundation) or somewhere,” he added.
The addition would jut out toward Tlingit Park.
Ryan said Wednesday afternoon he was trying to figure out the best way of getting the assembly’s feedback or decision on the MOU, as Tuesday’s presentation was just an informal public comment.
Tandy, who spoke at the assembly meeting, praised Ryan’s “highly-skilled professional leadership and mediation” he provided through the working group process.
“More than a few seniors have said while they believe that the preschool belongs with the Haines School, they definitely don’t want a repeat of what happened at the school district and they don’t want to turn these little ones away,” Tandy said.
The Haines Borough school board voted 5-2 in early November against moving forward with a memorandum of understanding to site the Chilkat Valley Preschool at the Haines School.
“Our various groups are united in this plan for an addition to the senior center. We want you, the leadership of the community, to be a part of our team,” Tandy told the assembly.