Grand Traverse County voters headed to the polls August 2 will see two very similar-looking millages on the ballot for senior services. One millage will support the Commission on Aging, which provides in-home services (such as housecleaning, health care, yard maintenance and heating assistance) for residents age 60 or older. The second millage is for the Senior Center Network, which provides recreational, social, and educational opportunities for Grand Traverse County seniors.

Though both departments are county-run and serve similar audiences, they provide very different services and have separate staff and budgets – both of which are funded almost entirely by their respective millages. As a follow-up to The Ticker’s profile of the Commission on Aging, we look at what’s next for the Senior Center Network – including the upcoming millage renewal and a separate capital campaign this fall to renovate the Traverse City Senior Center.

Millage
The Senior Center Network – which operates under the umbrella of the county Parks and Recreation department – is seeking renewal this year of a 0.1 mill levy from 2016-2022. The equivalent of $5 per year for a home with a taxable value of $100,000, the millage is expected to raise $462,053 in its first year. That will cover the bulk of the department’s $500,000 annual operating budget, with the remaining funds made up in grants, donations, and fees for services.

Since voters approved the first Senior Center Network millage in 2010 – when the department became county rather than city-run, and was responsible for securing its own funding – the program has expanded from its Traverse City headquarters to include four satellite locations. “We answered the call there and expanded our services,” says Senior Network Services Manager Lori Wells, citing locations in Acme, Kingsley, Interlochen and Fife Lake. “The (next) millage is strictly to support operations for the five locations we have in place now. Without it, we can’t operate.”

The Senior Center Network has logged over 300,000 visits and served more than 7,000 members since the millage first began. It offers more than 200 classes – such as art, computers, finances and nutrition – and 40 different exercise options. Other key offerings include 80+ recreational opportunities (including pickleball, tennis and golf), more than 50 health and wellness programs, and social events ranging from dances and meals to holiday events and trips. Membership is free to Grand Traverse County residents over 60, and $10 for residents under 60. Non-county residents pay $50 per year.

Traverse City Mayor Jim Carruthers says the region’s influx of retirees and overall aging population means support for the Senior Center Network is crucial. “Our population is only getting older, and we need to provide these services,” he says. “Selfishly, on the tail end of the Baby Boomer generation myself, I want to ensure we have a quality senior center and services for seniors here.”

TC Senior Center Renovations
Part of Carruthers’ and Wells’ goal for enhancing senior services is renovating the Traverse City Senior Center building on East Front Street on Grand Traverse Bay. Built in 1969, the facility has the same original plumbing, electrical, walls, floors and interiors as when it first opened. Carruthers calls the building – which is owned and maintained by the city, but leased by the county – “totally inadequate” for long-term operational needs.

“It’s on a beautiful piece of city parkland and a beautiful beach, and we can make that facility so much more energy-efficient and a better use of space,” he says. “It’s time we do something for the seniors there.”

An estimated $1.2 million renovation would pay for upgrading the Senior Center's kitchen and bathroom facilities, improving infrastructure and amenities, adding a waterside outdoor patio, and installing temporary walls or dividers to create “privacy spaces” where seniors can receive legal, counseling and health services. The Senior Center Network already has $216,000 in a holding account from donations and grants toward renovations. Because the upcoming millage pays only for operating costs – and would not be used for any capital expenditures – Wells says the organization hopes to launch a separate fundraising campaign this fall to raise the remaining $1 million for renovations.

"It's a matter of breathing some life back into that campaign, and reaching out to the community for support," she says.

Carruthers hopes to see both the city and county pitch in for the project. “It wasn’t part of our (city) budget process this year, but hopefully we could look at some grant writing and outside (funding) sources going forward,” says Carruthers. “It’s a county department, so I do think they need to be involved, but since it’s city property I’m willing to work with our residents to make that a better facility.”