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Mr. Jim Gelbmann <br />November 4, 1993 <br />Page Two <br />Since March, 1993, the task force has been seeking a site for the proposed <br />regional senior center. Although the primary site (located on Anoka County park <br />land) was denied by the Metropolitan Council, we are currently working at <br />completing arrangements for siting the regional senior center at the Rice Creek <br />Plaza, a shopping center located in New Brighton, that is centrally located near <br />a senior high rise, a park, and a wide variety of retail uses. <br />While we have made considerable progress toward fulfilling our dreams of a <br />regional senior center, there are a number of hurdles that must be faced before <br />the project can happen. Gaining site control is the primary hurdle. At the same <br />time, assistance with start-up funding is also very important. Two of the four <br />cities that are party to our efforts have not previously provided significant levels <br />of funding for senior services. They also have very limited fund reserves that <br />could be used for building and operating a regional senior center. Any grant <br />assistance, therefore, would be helpful in buying down the front end costs of <br />these two cities. Without the buy -down, I believe that their future participation is <br />very questionable. <br />If our grant request is funded, the Board will be helping us maintain broad <br />participation in a truly worthwhile project that will serve the estimated, 12,000 <br />seniors in the four cities. It will also help us meet the expanding needs of a <br />rapidly growing senior population in a manner that provides for stronger, more <br />diverse programming than any of the four cities could ever hope to fund on its <br />own. <br />Thank you for considering our request. <br />Sincerely, <br />William W. Burns <br />City Manager <br />WWB:rsc <br />Enclosures <br />