6/15/13
During the 6/10 Shorewood council meeting, the Council reviewed a proposal by Mayor Zerby to form a committee to make recommendations about the Center's future. Council approved going forward and some details follow.
The committee is to be formed from appointees from the five cities that own the Center (Zerby said he wanted elected officials), one person from South Shore Senior Partners (they've been handling the senior activities for the last three years), one from the organization that supported the Center before Shorewood took over management (the Insider assumes this is Senior Community Services which the Insider hears is involved in running the Gillespie center in Mound) and supporting members of Shorewood's staff.
The plan is to hold meetings during the summer and to have a recommendation ready by September 9th.
It'll be interesting to see how much interest and involvement the other four owner cities bring forward. As reported in this blog previously, their interest has been near zero for the past three years.
One thing for sure that won't have any effect is renaming the Center as Bob Newman, president of the SSSP, is reported to be advocating (see this week's "Excelsior/Shorewood Sun Sailor"). Calling a horse a cow doesn't make it a cow.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
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LOL. When the four other councils get the request from Zerby, I can guess what their response will be. Another waste of time. Zerby, show some leadership and mothball it. At least lets not waste money heating and cooling the place.
ReplyDeleteAgree with the comment above but must add my own spin:
ReplyDeleteAnother committee of elected officials? Really? Elected officials got us this dead horse in the first place, and elected officials EXCLUDES any one new from the general population infiltrating the clique.
Readers, watch for the names that appear on this new committee, it will be the same old same old.
Insider, when you know the names of the committee members, please share!
ReplyDeleteInsider, this could be a post in itself.
ReplyDeleteOnce and for all, the center as it stands was ill-conceived from the get-go. There was no thought as to its use beyond the now outdated "senior day center" concept. It does not seem to have been built with any other use in mind.
The group that championed this entity to begin with are now old, frankly, and the population on the cusp of retirement age have other things in mind for their spare time. The rest of us plan to work until we are 70 and honestly, the library, community ed and the many coffee shops around our area fill the need for classes and gathering spots.
And when we move out of this community because there is no step-down housing for seniors, you can be sure we will move into a community that has a well-rounded menu of social options.
So enough with the same old stuff! This complete lack of creative alternative vision is going to kill the place once and for all. The senior vision will not support it no matter what you do. You need to come up with something fresh and compelling.
Chaska has plenty of step-down housing for seniors and social options. Enjoy yourself in your new community!
ReplyDeleteSo in other words, older persons not welcome here? Is that what you are saying?
DeleteI think what the writer is saying is that the senior center idea is stale and old-fashioned. And that today's "seniors" are cut of a different cloth. And that we need to think "outside of the box" on this one.
And why do you always pimp Chaska?
If you don't have the means to live in Shorewood anymore, at least have enough respect for the city not to try to fundamentally change it so you can. Nothing wrong with Chaska or Chanhassen.
DeleteExpecting a community center to be in tune with the ideals of a new generation and the changing needs of its consumers is not "fundamental" change. It's smart business. Imagine if the Model A had not evolved to accommodate consumer demands.
DeleteOoh, I smell a snob!
DeletePlease explain the "snob" comment...there doesn't seem to be a connection.
DeleteYES! And I would add to that: the people thinking about and studying this now do not have the wherewithal to pull it off.
ReplyDelete