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Blaine's perennial dilemma: What to do about cramped senior center?

The highly popular venue is outdated, out of room – and expensive to replace.

By Hannah Covington

January 23, 2018 at 2:48AM

Doreen Warm, center, served lunch to seniors at the Blaine Senior Center in 2016. City leaders are once again trying to decide what to do about the cramped building after voters shot down a November 2016 referendum to overhaul the facility along with building a community center. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The long-standing dilemma of what to do about Blaine's cramped, 36-year-old senior center is once again stirring debate in the north metro suburb.

A new plan presented to City Council members on Thursday calls for tearing down the structure and building a $3.6 million facility near the current location at Aquatore Park.

Mayor Tom Ryan says it's high time to tackle ongoing space issues. The building's outdated bathrooms are "probably illegal" in terms of accessibility, he said, and the eating area can barely hold the crowds turning out for special meals.

A recent study uncovered a long list of problems at the Mary Ann Young Senior Center. Staff members are out of storage space for such items as tables and chairs, the ceiling is falling apart and the kitchen lacks adequate ventilation, the report said.

"It's kind of a nightmare," Ryan said. "Everything in it is shot."

But City Council members disagree on how best to proceed. The latest effort to overhaul the center comes after a failed referendum on a new senior facility along with a community center. Voters shot down the $29 million project in November 2016, with about 54 percent rejecting the plan. Residents raised concerns about paying for the community center's annual operating costs.

Some, like Ryan, suspect the senior center project might have passed had it not been paired with the hotly debated community center.

Ryan said more residents than ever are using the senior center, which has resorted to storing items all over the city for lack of space. Blaine's over-65 cohort doubled from 2000 to 2010, and now account for 8 percent of the city's population, census data show.

At Thursday's City Council work session, Blaine leaders discussed a building plan proposed by a new report that updated and retooled findings from a similar study from 10 years ago.

The project would nearly triple the size of the 4,200-square-foot center to about 12,000 square feet. The current facility would fit inside the proposed building's dining area, noted Bob Therres, the city's public services manager.

If the project advances, City Council members must decide whether to issue bonds to pay for it — which would involve another referendum — or by dipping into the city's capital improvement fund, said City Manager Clark Arneson.

Council members are also weighing whether to put an "advisory question" before voters for feedback on the proposal. The ballot measure — rarely used in Blaine — would gauge community support without being binding, Arneson said.

At the workshop, city leaders asked about renovating the current facility rather than rebuilding. Some pointed out that the demolition costs are not included in the $3.6 million price tag.

The subject is expected to come back before the City Council in February.

Hannah Covington • 612-673-4751

Shelley Johnson served lunch to seniors at the Blaine Senior Center in October 2016. The center is quite popular and has outgrown its outdated building, says Mayor Tom Ryan. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)