Nearly 10 months after the catastrophic flood that struck Grand Forks, the Senior Citizens Association of Grand Forks is one of many local organizations struggling in the aftermath.
The seniors used a city-owned building in City Park that was decimated by May’s flooding. The building is expected to be a complete write-off and will likely be demolished, according to Mayor Brian Taylor; the city is currently going through the insurance process to determine compensation for the building.
Taylor spoke at a meeting of the seniors association earlier this month, discussing potential options for the association and their membership as they look for a new building. He raised the possibility that the group relocate to the library basement, citing its appeal as being central to downtown.
The executive of the seniors association said they have seen their membership decline steadily since the flood, in large part because they don’t have a space for members to use.
Seniors’ president Ralph White said last year the group had 115 members, and since the flood has seen that number dip to 59. Compounding the issue, the building rentals were the group’s main source of revenue; the combination of those issues had left the association in a dire place.
“It’s cause and effect,” he said. “Our kung fu group had to move elsewhere, that was 12 members, and the quilters group, they came once a month but were members for the year, and that is [members gone]. The building rentals were how we paid our bills, so that’s a loss too.”
The seniors had explored the possibility of asking the city to dedicate some land on which they could place a modular building; however White said the group has decided to submit a formal proposal for the library basement space.
At the meeting of the seniors, Taylor said he was aware of the challenges with the space, like the current lack of accessibility, although did indicate money was available to aid in the renovations to make the space accessible. The city has been looking for a group to take over the space for the last couple months, and so far have had no takers, he added.
Taylor said that while he cannot speak for council, he said there might be some interest in dedicating the funds from the seniors’ hall insurance payout to finding and potentially renovating the space for the group.