Help Save The Spencer, Iowa Senior Center

05/20/2022

I would like to thank everyone that showed up to the Spencer Area Activity Center board monthly meeting this evening.

After a few negative comments from board president Scott Ten Kley and board member Mike Baker.

Scott Ten Kley, Mike Baker, Steve Hanson, Kay Nelson, and Katie Stouffer all resigned.

Scott Ten Kley appointed Dr. Dan Jorgensen as interim board president. Who then appointed: Barbara Workman, Kay Rose, Rick Monday, and Hernani Levi as interim board members until the annual SAAC board election could take place.

If you are willing to be on the SAAC board, please submit your application as soon as possible.

Again, a BIG THANK YOU to everyone for your support and looking forward to continued support!

The Committee to save the Center members

05/17/2022

05/17/2022

The Committee to Sace The Spencer Senior Center would like to Thank Shawn Morton, Owner of SS Collision, Cycle Works and Graphics located at 2902 11 Avenue SW, Spencer. 712 262-3959 for donating the two sided yard signs and the larger sign in the Spencer Remax office window!

05/16/2022

If the citizens of Clay County and the City of Spencer, Iowa want to save the SENIOR CENTER (SAAC) for current and future generations.
We need everyone to come to Thursday's 05-19-2022 5 pm SAAC Board Meeting located at 104 East 4th Street, Spencer!

This meeting is at five (5) pm. Please come and voice your opinion, as it is the last chance you will have to do so!

05/15/2022

The SAAC board can state that SAAC is going broke, but the truth of the matter is Clay County and the City of Spencer have each offered $12,500.00 each. This amount alone would pay the utilities on the building for one year.

The Committee to save the Spencer Senior center is willing to write grants and go out and get donations to bring money into the center. Something the current Director and Board members have refused to do!

The current SAAC board is committed to closing the center and then forcing the city to pay the utilities on the SAAC condo unit of this building until it sells!

STOP this nonsense, come to the Thursday, May 19, 2022, SAAC Board Meeting located at 104 East 4th Street, Spencer at 5pm.

Request that they hold SAAC's annual elections and permit the new board to save the Spencer Senior Center!

05/15/2022

Come to the May 19 5 pm SAAC Board meeting and request that they hold their annual board of Directors election. Interested in being a board member? Please print and fill out the Board of Directors Nomination Form.

Clay County Council on Aging
Spencer Area Activity Center-Senior Center
Board of Directors Nomination Form PLEASE PRINT

Name of Nominee ___________________________________________________________________________________

Home street address ______________________________________________________________________________

City ____________________________________________State ________ ZIP _____________________________

Telephone (cell or home) _______________________________ (Work) _______________________________________

Email _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Employer/Occupation ________________________________________________________________________________

Why do you want to serve on the Spencer Area Activity Center Board? ________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

What special skills or attributes would you bring with your service? ___________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

What areas of expertise do you possess? (Check all that apply.)

_____ Administration/Management _____ Financial Oversight _____ Fundraising

_____ Advocacy _____ Law _____ Human Resources

_____ Public Relations _____ Strategic Planning _____ Technology

_____ Other (please name) ___________________________________________________________________________

What resources can you bring to bear in service on the board? (Check all that apply.)

_____ Money to give _____ Access to money (personal, corporate, foundation) ____ Grant Writing

_____ Access to other resources (elected officials, celebrities, in-kind) _____ (for Building membership)

_____ Other (please name) ___________________________________________________________

Which of these terms best describes your leadership style?

_____ Consensus builder _____ Strategist _____ Team member/supporter

_____ Visionary _____ Other ______________________________________________

On what other nonprofit boards of directors have you served? ____________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Are you willing to participate in the Board Orientation and be an active member on the Board if approved? _____ Yes

Are you available and committed to attend Board and Committee meetings ? ____ Yes

Date Submitted: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Signature of Nominee: _______________________________________________________________________________

Return application to: Spencer Area Activity Center
C/o Spencer IA

We thank you for your interest in a Spencer Area Activity Center Board Position.

05/15/2022

Commitee to save SAAC (CTSSAAC)

05/15/2022

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The cost of closing the Spencer Area Activity Center
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
The cost of closing the Spencer Activity Center is too high, not only in the financial aspect of it, but also in the greater loss for current and future senior citizens in both the city of Spencer and Clay County!

Financially speaking, the SAAC Board would have to pay both the heat and electricity on the SAAC’s condominium unit of this building from time of closing at the end of June 2022 until they can find a buyer, which could take years!

Breaking it down: SAAC Board President Scott Ten Kley stated at the March 18, 2022, regular board meeting that the utilities are $900 monthly/$10,800 a year and the insurance is $300 a month/$3,600 a year, making it a grand total of $14,400 a year to let this condominium unit sit empty and keep the other two condominium units in this building safe.

Who is going to pay these monthly costs once SAAC runs out of money as Board President Scott Ten Kley implied?

Are the current board members going to step up to the plate and pay the monthly/yearly cost until a buyer is found, declare bankruptcy or are they expecting the city of Spencer to step up and pay until the condominium unit sells?

If I were permitted to become the executive director until at least a buyer is located, the center would remain open to the public and hopefully the city of Spencer and Clay County would honor their commitment of $12,000 each.

That would pay for both the heat and electricity, plus have $9,600 left to pay for phone/internet at $200 a month/$2,400 a year, marketing/advertising at $300 a month/$3,600, misc. expenses at $250 a month/$3,000 a year; during which time I would be writing grants and going to city of Spencer and Clay County businesses asking for a monthly or yearly donation to help save the Spencer Area Activity Center!

What does the Spencer Area Activity Center Board, the city of Spencer and Clay County have to lose by permitting me to try and save this center, until the building sells?

In the future, if the city of Spencer would decide that they need or wanted a new senior center, saving the current center would far outweigh the cost of buying a new building and furnishings!

If you have questions or want to save the Spencer Area activity Center, please contact: Board President Scott Ten Kley, along with board members: Mike Baker, Steve Hanson, Kay Nelson, Curtis Brownmiller, Ron Behrends and Jack Fitzgerald.

— Lee Youde, Spencer

05/15/2022

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
SAAC board article
Friday, April 22, 2022
In Tuesday’s Spencer Daily Reporter article “SAAC board hears community proposals for staying open,” board member Steven Hansen stated: “It’s commendable Lee is volunteering to take this on for up to one year without pay, but saving $14,000 is not that great compared to what our needs are. More importantly, going through his resume, it does not show that he is qualified for the position he is seeking.”

MY EDUCATION:

• Spencer High School (diploma) 1975.

• American Institute of Business 1976-77. Coursework in accounting and business management.

• Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, 1985-86 general coursework (part-time).

• AIMS Community College, Greely, Colorado, 1997-98 telecommunications coursework.

• Iowa Real Estate sales Examination — passed May 17, 1986, Certificate of Completion — Real Estate Education.

• Ordained as a minister — Jan. 14, 2004, Universal Ministries, Milford, Illinois.

• Owned and operated: The Royal Wedding Chapel, from 2004 until closing 2018.

• Flipped Residential Properties: 2004-18 bought, renovated and sold properties. Collaborating with contractors, realtors and buyers.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Career history in customer service and account support.

• Effective communication and public relation abilities.

• Thorough knowledge of business procedures and practices.

• Highly organized and performance oriented.

I retired from the telephone company, where I actively negotiated order requests, coordinated inquiries and resolved customer complaints. I represented various departments through telephone and personal contact, maintained efficient and accurate service records, including account status and billings; developed and extended accurate quotations of adjustments, balances and rates; and utilized computerized systems in course of duties.

I do not care to make this Letter to the Editor about personalities but feel that Steve's comments in this article were uncalled for, especially when I am willing to write grants and go out asking for donations that would bring in more funds then the $14,000 that Steve stated, “is not that great compared to what our needs are.”

When I sat down with SAAC Executive Director Cindy Jones, she stated that, "when (she was) hired, she informed the SAAC board that she was not willing to write grants."

At that point why did the board decide to continue to employ her, if she was unwilling to do the job? She also stated that she was “old school and a pencil and paper person," thus refusing to utilize the Spencer Area Activity Center’s office computers!

If unwilling or unable to write grants, why didn’t she go out into the community and ask for monthly, yearly, or one-time donations from Clay County and city of Spencer businesses and corporations to meet the day-to-day expenses?

I met with her a couple of times and while sitting in her office, she related how depressed she was. When Cindy no longer felt effective in her executive roll, why didn’t she resign before now?

Regardless of Steve’s comments, I feel that I am just as qualified, if not more qualified, than the current SAAC executive director! At least I am willing to write grants and go out into the community and ask for monthly, yearly or one-time donations!

I volunteered at SAAC for years, instructing and paying for the craft class materials, decorating the center at my own expense, calling nickel bingo three days a week, working in the office doing computer work, answering the phones, helping with dinner date, and cleaning the common room ceiling light when no one else would (including the paid custodian at the time), all while flipping houses and running a business.

The SAAC board came and asked if placed on the SAAC board, would I start up and run Saturday night bingo. I operated and called Saturday night bingo every Saturday night until my committee and I proved that Spencer Area Activity Center’s Saturday night bingo was not profitable, so discontinued it and I left the board.

Funny how Cindy and Steve called and asked me to explain how to start up and run Saturday night bingo again. I asked to be placed on the board for doing so and they stated that they could not do that! Yet they expect me to explain to them how to start up and operate Saturday night bingo. But if they do not follow my instructions, they can blame me for anything that goes wrong and with me not being on the SAAC board, I would not be able to correct them or defend myself.

The current executive director and board can blame past Spencer Area Activity Center directors and boards for the financial state the center is in, but what have they done to correct past errors to bring the center into financially stability?

— Lee Youde, Spencer

05/15/2022

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Spencer Area Activity Center
Friday, April 29, 2022
I have been a long time participant of SAAC, having served on the board, volunteered my time and strengths to work breakfasts and fundraisers, often helping with cleaning projects, inviting my friends and family to attend, and generally being an avid supporter of SAAC.

It seems to me that there is no valid reason to put a deadline on closing SAAC when we are now in the midst of gaining community support. Why not let the new enthusiasm gain momentum and see if improvements can be made in the next several months. This is, after all, what we have been wanting for years! At this time we are not totally out of money and have an opportunity to try something new; get some new board members with new ideas; and with some renewed publicity, hopefully draw people and families to the center. There is always time to close the center at a later date if things do not work out.

The center’s bylaws state that elections should now be held to fill board seats. There are several people who are excited to be elected to the board. The center needs to proceed with elections, rather than spout the opinion that “there is no hope.”

There is no reason to cause animosity and hold grudges at this point when we are offered an opportunity to improve a community program that could benefit more people. Let’s look to the future. Elections for new board members should take place and the center should continue to operate until there is no money to pay the bills. At that time a decision can be made.

— Jack Fitzgerald, Spencer