Senior Center on verge of two-year lease with county posted on 12/01/2022
The Hoodland Senior Center agreed to a two-year lease with
Clackamas County to remain in the building they’ve called home for ten years,
including the last six months without a lease. The new lease still needs
approval from the Clackamas County Commissioners, although it is not yet on an
upcoming agenda.
“We still don’t have much security,” said Ella Vogel, the
senior center’s director, noting that the county has the right to sell the
building during the term of the lease.
Vogel added that the center has been particularly busy in
recent years, with a number of governmental offices such as the Department of
Motor Vehicles being closed and seniors relying on the center’s computers to
get things done such as renewals of licenses and registrations or apply for
social security.
“They come here, and they still do,” she said. “(Assistant
Director) Leita (Bibler) and I did our best. What we didn’t know, we learned.”
The county also awarded a grant for $11,860 to the center to
assist low-income seniors and the disabled with home repairs and other
improvements.
Projects likely to be approved include heating/cooling
system repairs, roof repairs, snow removal, fixes to decks/steps and other
projects that enhance safety, health and livability.
There is a limit of $600 per applicant, with income limit
requirements.
Vogel noted that many seniors on the Mountain are living in
trailers, and that some have had trouble finding contractors to perform small
projects.
“Furnaces go out, toilets go out,” she said. “These are
things that we need to be able to help them with that other people can’t. We’re
trying to take care of those lower income people and whatever they need.”
The grant was secured with the help of volunteer grant
writer Brittany Kintigh. All money must be utilized by June 30, 2023.
For more information, contact the Hoodland Senior Center at
503-622-3331 or hoodlandseniors1@gmail.com. The center is located at 65000 Hwy.
26 in Welches.
By Garth Guibord/MT
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