County Commissioner Sue Hakes, chair of the Community Center Steering Committee, answers questions at the meeting at the Cook County Senior Center on Thursday, May 19. Of the approximately 50 people in attendance at the meeting, no one spoke in favor of moving the senior center to the proposed new community center. Hakes told the crowd that whether or not the senior center is part of the community center, the steering committee wants input from the county’s senior citizens.
Members of the Cook County Community Center steering committee and ORB Management, the county’s owner’s representative, faced what has become a familiar scene at the Cook County Senior Center on Thursday, May 19—a crowded room of citizens with concerns.
Members of the design team for the proposed center, Tim Meyer of the Meyer Group and Dan Miller of JLG Architects, gave a brief description of the preliminary plan and then Commissioner Fritz Sobanja got up to speak, facing an impatient audience of about 50 people.
Sobanja said he had lived in Cook County for 50 years. “I was raised here. There are a lot of things here [in the community center plan] that we didn’t have. This would offer a lot to our kids.”
“I’m asking you to take some time and think about this. Think of where we’ll be 10, 20, 30, years from now…” said Sobanja and the seniors in the audience snickered.
Sobanja asked for quiet and persisted, encouraging the audience to think of the past “richness of the community.” He said the community has become fractionalized and said the planned intergenerational activities at the new community center could bring people together again.
Sobanja was cut off by audience questions on proposed membership fees, on what would happen to the current senior center building, and to the funds the Council on Aging would receive from the county if it doesn’t move to the new facility. Commissioner Sue Hakes, chair of the Community Center Steering Committee, answered, stating that if the Senior Center moved to the new facility, seniors would not have to pay a membership fee to use the senior section and/or the walking track. She said what happened to the current Senior Center building was up to its owners—the Cook County Council on Aging. And, she said what would happen with the county’s financial contribution to the senior center was not yet known.
“We’re not trying to take anything away from anyone,” said Hakes, “We want to improve things for people. We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to use this new community center. We’re working on other options, other charities that can help with that.”
Sobanja interjected, “These are working numbers,” and as audience members asked him to sit down so they could ask questions, he said, “Don’t get excited! Let me finish!”
He quickly summed up with his proposal to create an endowment so “wealthier people” could help others— young families or seniors on fixed incomes—so all could have the opportunity to use the facility. “I don’t have that much money, but I’ll put the first $1,000 in,” he said emphatically.
Community Center Director Bev Green introduced the members of the Council on Aging that were present. Council on Aging board members are Kris Hedstrom, Warren Anderson, Diane Parker, Sharron McCann, Dawn Byholm, Karen Kritta-Saethre, Bill Shaffer, Lois Johnson, Diane Booth, Pat Zankman, and Walt Mianowski, and Jim Johnson is the county board liaison. Mianowski stood up and said loudly, “We all voted and we don’t want to move our senior center!”
Commissioner Hakes said even if the Senior Center doesn’t move up to the new facility, the county still wanted feedback from community seniors about what they want to see there.
Bob Pratt questioned the fact that the $83,000 the county budgets for the Council on Aging is included in the proposed community center’s revenue.
“Ultimately it’s kind of a club over the Senior Center’s head. It’s an invitation, but we feel like you’re saying, ‘We’ll not fund the Senior Center if you don’t move up there.’”
Hakes said the county “could possibly” adjust the amount it has been contributing to the Senior Center. Community Center Director Green said the county has already asked the Senior Center to become more self-sustaining. When former director Sharon Bloomquist left, the county ended its role as employer of the Senior Center director. “We’ve already worked to be more self-sustaining,” said Green.
Mianowski reiterated that the seniors wanted to stay put. “If the county cuts us off, we’ll put parking meters out in our parking lot,” he said.
The meeting continued until time for the daily lunch at the Senior Center, with the message from the “regulars” coming through loud and clear—they wanted no change to the location or operation of the Cook County Senior Center!
At the subsequent county board meeting on Tuesday, May 24, Hakes reported that the Community Center Steering Committee decided to drop the dedicated Senior Center space from the new facility. Because of concerns over construction and maintenance costs, the committee decided to propose to the county board that the building be reduced to about 40,000 square feet, a reduction of 5,000 square feet. The multipurpose meeting rooms would be taken out of the second floor design and put into the previously proposed Senior Center area on the first floor. The facility’s kitchen would remain.
Steering Committee
Members are:
Diane Booth
Fritz Sobanja
Andra Lilienthal
Sue Hakes
Beth Schwarz
Sue Prom
Paul Sporn
Jeff Latz
Maggie Barnard
Karen Kritta
Jeanne Anderson
Bob Fenwick
George Wilkes
Any citizens with questions for the committee are encouraged to ask. Questions may be sent to
County Commissioner
Sue Hakes at hakes@boreal.org
(218) 387-2111
Comments may also be sent to
Wade Cole of
ORB Management
Corporation
(320) 762-2077
To see current proposals, visit the Cook County website at: www.co.cook.mn.us
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