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Renton’s wonderful Don Persson Senior Activity Center will be closed for some much-needed refurbishment starting on April 15– just 6 days from now. Presumably, many of the activities will be moved to the Community Center, but the specifics have not been shared at this point. This could come as a surprise for anyone who has not visited the Senior Center in the last week, since signs at the center have only recently been put up, and the city website does not mention the closure anywhere that I could find. In addition, the Senior Center calendar remains unchanged from previous months. I recommend that the City’s communication department get some announcements posted, preferably to the City’s home page and the Senior Center page.
The beautiful and popular Don Persson Renton Activity Senior Center sits on the banks of Cedar River, just across Logan Way from Renton Stadium and Renton Airport. The roof needs replacement, and all of the HVAC equipment on the flat roof section is also due for replacement. The work will deactivate the cooling and ventilating in the building during the construction period.
The City Council has briefly discussed the closure in a Committee of the Whole meeting in March, but even during that meeting it wasn’t clear that that the closure would last over six months. And few residents watch these meetings. Unless a resident watched that meeting and took notes, they likely won’t know this closure is coming.
The refurbishment is described as a new roof, siding, windows, and HVAC system (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system). These will all be desirable improvements that are arguably overdue on this building. I’ve had some residents ask me if I know why the Senior Center would have to close down entirely for these changes since much of the work is external to the building. And the answer is that the HVAC system will need to be deactivated during the roof replacement since much of the equipment is on the flat part of the roof. Without air conditioning and ventilation, the building may not be a safe environment for its normal activities in the summer. In addition, the windows will be replaced which will require interior work in all the rooms. And the refurbishment also includes updates to fire and communication systems, and other systems that run throughout the building. Having contractors working on all these systems at the same time classes are going on could be a safety risk and a logistical challenge.
Unfortunately, the work has come at a time that the city has many other buildings out of commission, undergoing repairs or refurbishments. This will add to the scheduling challenges. The Pavilion Event Center is being converted into a Market, Carco Theater is being repaired after the December Cedar River flood, the Mill Avenue building (old city hall) is being repaired after it was flooded by a broken 16 inch water main, and the Renton Historical Museum building was abruptly closed about a year ago for refurbishment. In past years, these building might have offered extra space for classes and events. With all these closures, the Community Center will be working to absorb as many of the Senior activities as possible, which will be a challenge in the building and in the adjacent parking lots. The parking often gets packed in the summer from the Henry Moses Aquatic Center.
In summary, I’m glad that City Council authorized the refurbishment of the Senior Center. While the work requires a closure, I recommend the closure be communicated to the public more urgently and thoroughly, and I hope the contractor can get the job done swiftly– early if at all possible.
Banners should be added to this Senior Center page and the City’s home page advising of the upcoming closure
As of today, the posted schedule looks like all activities are happening normally
The website’s April lunch menu gives not hints that the Senior Center will be closing
This chart was shown during the March 2nd Committee of the Whole meeting, where Council was told in general terms about the upcoming work and schedule disruptions.
This is one page from the thousand-page construction contract that was approved by Renton City Council at their April 6 meeting. This drawing shows the replacement roof and the new high-efficiency HVAC heat pumps being installed on the flat roof section.
My wife Cathy and I attending a fun painting class at the Don Persson Senior Activity Center last week. Senior Center activities are offered to everyone age 50 and above.
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