And when they do publish letters, it is just to check off the "public comments" box?

First published in the Friday, 22 December 2017 issue of the Estes Park Trail-Gazette 

Senior Center Issues

On April 1, 2014 citizens of Estes Park voted on Ballot 
Issue 1A to increase our sales tax by 1% beginning in 2018.  
The money is to fund four separate categories:  1) Streets in Estes Park, 2) Capital Acquisitions for Emergency Response Capabilities, 3) Estes Valley Public Trails, and 4) “25% of revenues to help fund construction of a community recreation center, including facilities for the Estes Park Senior Center”.  Ballot Issue 1A passed.  1550 votes were in favor of 1A, 851 votes were not in favor of the bill.  There is no way of telling which part of 1A had strong support, or if citizens voted for or against the bill because of support or lack thereof for individual issues.  It would have been good to have individual bills to vote on for each separate issue. 

I attended the meetings early on when the feasibility assessment company was to help determine whether we could have a community center for our citizens that would meet our needs and be affordable for all.  Other communities have achieved this.  Since the beginning there have been many plan changes.  Seniors have worked with the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD) to modify original plans.  There is now a separate entrance for seniors with parking close to that entrance.  This space is free, as is the indoor walking track.  An inside door can be closed to provide an undisturbed space. However, seniors who don’t feel comfortable with what the EVRPD has decided is best for them have been belittled if they express opposing views.  People have been accused of being stubborn and unaccepting of new ideas.  Credit has not been given to the seniors who base their views on life experience, and perhaps do know what is in their best interest, and the best interest of our community.

The EVRPD will make all the decisions on what happens at the community center.  The town will not have a say.  It was my understanding earlier that the seniors would have everything at the Community Center that existed at the Senior Center, including significantly more space for activities.  This is no longer true. The EVRPD has not planned to provide daily hot lunches for seniors. These were healthful meals served in a comfortable, warm-and-friendly-dining-room atmosphere.  It was conducive to socializing, which nourishes one’s being as well as one’s body.  Seniors paid a reasonable price for lunch. 

Senior space will now be shared and used for other purposes.  How is the space to be scheduled, and can that change?  Commercial kitchens are by definition built to be profitable.  Why will space be used for weddings?  I believe Estes Park ranks second in the nation for wedding venues.  Weddings are most often held in churches, and other readily-available venues in Estes Park. 

Originally it was said that senior centers would not be able to get grant money unless they were part of a multi-generational center.  Seniors believed they would not get financial support unless a community center was built to include them.  This was rather threatening.  People in the community recognized a need for more rooms for meetings for regularly scheduled groups as well as for one time use.  Planners also believed it would be nice for children to be exposed to seniors with more of  the “it takes a village to raise a child” concept.  This is a nice concept, but it presents health risks for both seniors and children alike.  I believe this to be true from my experiences as a volunteer in schools when my children were young, and every time I visit my grandchildren.

I would like the town of Estes Park to lease the current Senior Center building on Fourth Street to the Estes Park Senior Citizens Center, a 401(c)3 nonprofit.  I do not believe the two centers would be in conflict.  There are many seniors whose needs will be met by both centers, and seniors should be allowed to participate in programs that are best for them.  The town will benefit financially from this arrangement, as the nonprofit will cover all costs of the building and programs on Fourth Street.  The town will not need to employ two people at the center and will not need to pay $300K annually to support the senior center.

Johanna Darden, full-time senior resident of Estes Park