Commission picks park for new senior site

CLOVIS — For years, it's been assumed the current Parkview Elementary would see a second life as a senior center when Clovis Municipal Schools moves on to a new campus.

But time was not on its side.

With that in mind, the Clovis city commission unanimously voted Thursday to start a scope of work on a new senior center at Hillcrest Park.

The center, to be built in a phased process south of the Wellness Center, is expected to run about $6.9 million. The building would be 25,750 square feet and include the Curry Resident Senior Meals Association, adult day care, housekeeping and chore programs.

The city is currently served by three senior centers — Friendship, Baxter-Curren and La Casa. The city owns land on the first two, while La Casa is rented from the county to La Casa de Buena Salud.

The process, Commission on Older Adults Chair Donna Labatt said, first began in 2014 when a need was expressed for a new CRSMA site.

The next year, a city survey on community recreational programs was sent to random residents and posted online. There were 721 surveys returned, and 505 of them answered a question asking, "Would you support the City of Clovis seeking funding for a new senior facility in Clovis to include a meals program, adult day care, housekeeping and chore programs?" Just over 70 percent, 368, said yes.

Last year, the city entered into an agreement with Clovis Municipal Schools to sell the city the current Parkview Elementary in 2019, when a new school would be finished near 14th Street and Schepps Boulevard.

The city also created the task force to look at locations for a combined use senior center. Members included Labatt, Commissioner Tom Martin, Cherisse Perez (CRSMA), Vicki Miller (COA), Roy Gallegos (Friendship Center), Karl Korff and Brenda Harpold (Baxter Curren), Melinda Coslett (Clovis Senior Olympics) and Susan Zamora (Curry RSVP/Foster Grandparents).

Commissioners asked why La Casa wasn't represented on the task force. La Casa Outreach Director David Briseno said while La Casa representatives were not chosen as voting members, he had no issue with the people who were chosen and Labatt gave La Casa participation opportunities through the entire process.

The task force held four town halls in July and August, with attendance between 48 and 60 at each one.

It identified five potential sites — Parkview, Llano Estacado and Thornton, Hillcrest Park, downtown Clovis, and west of La Casa.

The top three ranked recommendations were Hillcrest Park, Parkview and west of La Casa.

Parkview had plenty going for it, Labatt said, including wired and wireless Internet capability, athletic facilities, outdoor recreation space, offices and various rooms for activities. Additionally, it was within walking distance of both Yucca Middle School and Hillcrest Park.

However, Labatt said, the city has deadlines attached to state money for a new site — June 30, 2019, for $50,000 and July 31, 2021 for $250,000. Other funding sources could include general obligation bonds in 2019 and a Community Development Block Grant in 2020.

The state won't bend on the use-or-lose deadlines, Labatt said, and work on Parkview can't start until the property is in the city's hands.

Mayor David Lansford, who echoed commissioners in praising Labatt and the task force on thorough work, felt Hillcrest was the best choice and it would be a process of three-to-five years that would serve the community for decades.

"Sometimes being good keeps you from being great," Lansford said. "Parkview was good. I think this is going to be great."

Commissioner Fidel Madrid, who chairs the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee, was concerned about overstuffing the park, which has soccer fields, a par 3 golf course that also gets use from disc golfers, a 5K course, a dog park, a splash pad and the Wellness Center.

"Every time we have a meeting for parks and recreation," Madrid said, "people want to put something else in Hillcrest Park. It's a park."

Lansford said he would be concerned about creating a "vacuum" for residents around Parkview. Madrid said the facility could still be of use; possibly in the same manner as the Roy Walker Recreation Center.

John King, CMS' executive director of operations, said he couldn't speak for administration or the school board, but the educated guess was CMS plans to sell the Parkview property, whether it's to Clovis or a private citizen. The district can pay demolition costs, King said, if it comes to that.

The commission plans to create another task force at its Oct. 19 meeting to oversee the work.

Coslett said the task force should contain a representative for Clovis Senior Olympics. Labatt said she would certainly want to serve as well because the local senior centers are "near and dear" to her.

"I think the seniors would like a center that's not as old as they are," Labatt said half-jokingly, getting a laugh from the commissioners and audience members.