SALT LAKE CITY — Days after voting to close multiple child care centers, the Salt Lake County Council voted to shutter a senior citizen center where a million-dollar renovation is currently underway.
Tuesday's 5-4 vote along party lines to close the Tenth East Senior Center came hours after dozens of parents expressed their anger over the previously announced closings of four child care centers across the valley.
According to a notice on the county's website, the Tenth East Senior Center is currently closed for an 18-month remodel that began on Sept. 5 and was approved by the council three years ago.
A release shared by the county said that nearly 600 seniors visit the center "for meals, recreational opportunities, and critical social interactions with their peers and community."
The motion to close the center was brought by council member Aimee Winder Newton, who argued for the cost savings its closure would bring, and that a nearby alternative is available to those who use Tenth East, with the Liberty Senior Center located less than 2 miles away.
Emotions run high as parents face Salt Lake County Council over daycare center closures:
Addressing the council, Salt Lake Mayor Jenny Wilson said that doing things as they'd always been done isn't necessary, but closing the center was a "bridge too far."
Council member Jiro Johnson, who represents the district where the center is located, added that shutting it down would be 'fiscally irresponsible" due to the $3 million already spent on renovations and the value the center brings to elderly citizens looking to feel part of the community.
"This is not the promise this county made," said Johnson. "It's not acceptable to me, and it's not fiscally responsible to just say we're going to do this, and now, because we're in a tax year, lose $3 million so that we can get $7 million in one-time funds that we were supposed to commit to these individuals."
Those for the closing said the $7 million could be used for deferred maintenance on other projects, and that budget cuts are difficult, especially when they would like to avoid slashing funds for public safety.
"This makes me sad, but at the end of the day, we have to look at what is the best way to positively impact our entire county, and I just think we gotta do this," said another member of the council.
Council member Laurie Stringham seconded the motion, only because of the nearby center, adding she'd be against the move should there be no other alternatives for local seniors.
Speaking against the motion, council member Ross Romero brought up the immediate uproar over the child care center closures due to the lack of public notice, and that the council was seemingly doing the same thing with the Tenth East Senior Center.
Winder Newton said the budget, which the closing is part of, was only a proposal and that community voices would be allowed to speak out against the move at a future date.
