Park City Senior Center President Liz Novak said the new location would allow the center to continue operating at its existing location on Woodside Avenue during construction.
“The fact that the senior center would be on Park Avenue says a lot to this community,” Novak said. “We’d be front and center, and I think it would really speak to the community about how important seniors are, as opposed to being kind of hidden on Woodside [Avenue].”
Novak said they’re open to the proposed 10,000-square-foot building even though the seniors requested 15,000 square feet.
“Recognizing that there are other constraints that we have to all take into consideration, we don’t always get what we want,” she said. “But I think first and foremost, what we want is a new senior center.”
As it stands, the city’s price estimate for the project is $10 million.
Park City Councilmember Jeremy Rubell said he’s curious about Summit County’s financial commitment. Rubell said no other cities in the county contribute to senior centers, which are technically operated by Summit County.
“We all pay taxes to the county,” Rubell said. “We also pay taxes to the city. So just want to make sure everyone understands we’re paying twice for the city investing in the senior center. And not that that’s good or bad. I’m fine with it if that’s how we want to spend our money. But it is different, and it is coming out of the pocket of everyone in the city, not just folks who benefit from the project.”
Park City Mayor Nann Worel previously challenged the city council to reach a decision about the future site of the senior center by June 1.
Rubell said the city was supposed to break ground on a new senior center last year on Woodside Avenue. That project, which also involved housing, never took off.
“Those 50 units of affordable housing became really expensive, and it sort of sunk the project as this combination,” Park City Councilmember Ryan Dickey said of the previous iteration.
Next the city will work with an architect to develop a site plan.
Councilmembers and residents shared concerns about adequate parking in the area going forward.
Councilmembers said building structured parking on the MaWhinney site along with the new senior center was a possibility.
Park City has not established a timeline for the senior center project. It’s unclear when it will return to the council for another discussion.
Park City Municipal is a financial supporter of KPCW.
