The Soldotna Senior Center is asking the city to reinstate its funding. The request comes almost two years after the city council defunded the center amid allegations of financial mismanagement.
“A couple years ago, we had some problems and we are working through those,” said Pamela Gillham who sits on the senior center’s board of directors. “And we’re very proud to say that we have come a long way from where we were two years ago.”
Gillham joined about 15 senior center members and the center’s executive director to formally petition the council during its meeting last week.
The Soldotna Senior Center was established almost 40 years ago. It runs a meal program for homebound seniors, offers Medicare and computer support and facilitates the state’s senior benefits program, among other things.
Council member Dave Carey said the number of people who attended the council meeting to show their support for the center was a positive sign.
“It was one of the most difficult decisions I made – and I can’t speak for anyone else but I think others would say it – to not fund the Soldotna Senior Center,” he said. “We did it – I did it because I did not feel there was a credible service being provided from what we were being told.”
The council’s vote to defund the center cost the center nearly $13,000. At the same time, the center lost a state grant worth more than $350,000. The center’s board removed their executive director and instated Lisa Riley.
Gillham says the center plans to reapply for the state grant it lost. The council urged the center to submit a formal funding request closer to budget season.
