‘No advantage to add programming for Seniors at the Westwinds facility’

Letter to the Editor

Re: The Steering Committee’s work on programming options for Seniors

The District of Squamish assembled a group of creative, committed residents aged 55+ to participate as part of a Steering Group on Seniors Recreation Programming at District facilities. The District initiated this process because recently they entered into a 10-year licence agreement with the Westwinds Seniors Building owners to utilize space in the building now under construction on3rd Avenue. District staff is of the opinion that “the introduction of the new Westwinds building provides for an opportunity to evaluate the types of programs available to seniors, locations these programs are best suited to, and to plan for new programs/evaluate the current offerings.”

Our Society would like this Committee to consider:

1. The 55 (previously the Squamish Seniors Activity Centre) was declared to be our home by the Mayor during the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it opened in 2009.

2. The 55 was built using lands and funds set aside by previous councils for use solely by the Seniors of the community.

3. The Society has spent countless volunteer hours participating in the facility design, selecting equipment and furnishings and in its operation.

4. The Society has contributed about $80,000 to the cost of equipping the 55.

5. If staff feel that the 55 is not sufficiently used during the day, then they only need to provide The Programs that our Seniors have been requesting for years, but were not provided.

6. The 55 has a commercial kitchen that would normally be the focal point of the facility as it brings seniors together. It is Muni staff that has been unable to develop a suitable working model to provide this on a permanent basis.

7. Westwinds does not have a functional kitchen so will not be able to provide breakfasts or lunches needed by seniors for socializing.

8. Westwinds will not have a sprung floor so will not be suitable for Senior’s exercise classes. Counter to the opinion of senior Muni staff, the 55 Great Room has a sprung floor. But then, they were not around when the facility was built and they don’t seem to care enough to check.

9. Having programs spread over several facilities is counter productive to the need of Seniors to maximize the opportunity for social interaction with their compatriots.

10. Muni recreation staff, notwithstanding their obligation to consult with the Society’s Advisory Board on any issue that involves the operation and programming of the 55 (Mayor Sutherland’s letter to the Society Nov. 28, 2008), entered into negotiation with the Westwinds group for about a year, without consulting the Seniors Advisory Board, on providing additional programming space for seniors that Seniors don’t want or need – yet staff states that the 55 is underused!

11. The contract with the Westwinds group is for only 10 years of use on weekdays, with hours limited to 9 to 2 and costing the local taxpayers $400,000. Ten years go by quickly – where would Seniors go after that?

12. A fair and unbiased Steering Committee on Programming Options, when considering the above facts cannot come to any conclusion other than, that there is no advantage to add programming for Seniors at the Westwinds facility.

Herbert Vesely, Director
Squamish Seniors Centre Society

P.S.: I was asked to participate in the Steering Committee but declined simply because I don’t want to lend my name to an exercise that appears to be a rubber stamping of a forgone conclusion.
P.P.S.: I requested to attend the meetings as an observer but was refused – the meetings are being held in secret.