As Mayor of Eagle, I am excited to expand opportunities for Eagle’s senior citizens. Whether they have lived here for decades or days, the seniors in Eagle constitute a large demographic that our city honors. They, like all of us, love the quality of life that Eagle provides!
Due to recent safety and financial concerns, the City of Eagle issued a 120-day notice to terminate the lease of the Eagle Senior Center building to the Eagle Senior Citizens, Inc. nonprofit organization. Recently, a tort claim was filed against the City regarding a death associated with an accident on a Valley Regional Transit (VRT) van driven by an Eagle Senior Citizens, Inc. nonprofit employee. At that time, the City’s association with the Senior Center nonprofit was simply to provide the nonprofit a facility for a $1.00 a year lease. The City also cleaned and maintained the building at the taxpayers’ expense. Because of the incident, VRT has taken over driving and scheduling all rides for the seniors.
Some may say that terminating the building lease takes away opportunities from our City’s senior citizens, and that is not true! The truth is we are proactively protecting our seniors and ensuring they will be provided more community resources in a sustainable way moving forward.
The City understands the need to preserve and expand senior experiences to people of various ages in sustainable ways without relying solely on a separate nonprofit. Ensuring the City’s commitment to provide seniors the activities and recreation options they value, the City will host an Open House during this 120-day period to hear insights, concerns, and recommendations from our community.
When the lease with Eagle Senior Citizens, Inc. ends, the City will continue to provide the same senior-focused activities at the Eagle Senior Center and engage our terrific Recreation Department to increase programming opportunities with the use of other city locations, including our Community Hall and Public Library.
As a community, we need each other, and we help each other. As the senior recreation program expands opportunities to gather within and amongst various age groups, there will be several benefits, including increased opportunities to share our strengths, eliminate isolation, improve the emotional and mental health of all ages, and unify our community. These improvements will elevate our senior citizens' lifestyle, increase their opportunities, enlarge our outreach, and positively impact our community, all while maintaining our signature small-town charm. These enhancements truly are “Life, Done Right!” for our senior citizens and the whole City of Eagle!