Community Environment

PenMet Parks approves steering committees for aquatics, senior center studies

Posted on February 8th, 2023 By: Ed Friedrich

Twenty-five senior citizens packed a former Arletta Schoolhouse classroom Tuesday night to show support for a facility to call their own.

Peninsula Metropolitan Parks District included $105,000 in its 2022 capital improvement plan to conduct separate feasibility studies for a community aquatics center and a dedicated space for seniors. On Tuesday, it approved 16-member steering committees for each. The groups will provide public input to consultant ARC Architects of Seattle, which was hired to perform the analyses.

“As a proud, active senior citizen, I’d like to recognize and thank all the senior citizens in the room tonight who came out and supported what we’re doing,” advocate Betty Lilienthal said at PenMet’s biweekly board meeting. “We want you (PenMet) to know we want to help you help us.

Senior citizen advocate Betty Lilienthal speaks to the PenMet board Tuesday about its support for a new senior center.

“Thank you for recognizing us. We’re grateful for the creation of the steering committee. It provides an opportunity for us to contribute to you to help us. I really believe in your effort. You’re the organization that can make this happen if we help you.”

Seniors seeking dedicated home

The Gig Harbor Senior Center was housed with the Boys & Girls Club from 2009 to 2019. In June 2019, Peninsula School District bought that building and it became Pioneer Elementary School. The senior center reopened in summer 2021, after a 15-month, Covid-induced shutdown, in a temporary home at Peninsula Lutheran Church.

Feasibility studies are a first step in determining community needs and priorities, conceptual planning of a public facility to meet those needs and priorities, and to evaluate design, siting, and capital and operational needs to determine the feasibility of building and operating a new facility. The district will use the studies to determine whether senior and aquatics centers are feasible as a supplement to current offerings.

More than two dozen seniors attended the PenMet board meeting Tuesday in support of a new senior center.

Seven members of each steering committee represent Pierce County, the city of Gig Harbor, Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One, Peninsula School District, Rotary and Kiwanis. Three were advocates appointed directly by PenMet, such as Lilienthal, and Sarah Stancikas and Heather Maher, who launched the grassroots Swim Safe Gig Harbor campaign that prompted PenMet’s involvement.

Committee composition

The final six members plus four alternates were selected by the Capital Improvement Plan Committee from about 50 citizen applicants based on their ability to contribute to the study subject matter and representation of the community. Each committee will meet at least three times between now and June.

Also, parks staff will conduct community meetings to share updates and hear public input from those who aren’t serving on a committee. Feasibility findings and recommendations from each study will be presented to the board next summer.

“I would like to thank everyone who came,” said Commissioner Missy Hill. “What we do we do for you. This is certainly a visible show of support.”

Senior Center Steering Committee

Mark Avni
Cheryl Cristello
Dennis Doan (Gig Harbor Fire)
Lynda Filson
Efrain Gonzalez (Tom Taylor YMCA)
Peninsula School District – to be appointed by PSD
Jill Guernsey
Joe Hillyer
John Jolibois (Pierce County)
Betty Lilienthal (direct appointee)
Joe Loya (Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor)
Angela Mattison (direct appointee)
Jeremy Mort (direct appointee)
Gary Parker
Le Rodenberg (City of Gig Harbor)
Pat Schmidt (Rotary)
Alternates
Richard Harris
Nancy Hohenstein
Ray Kittelberger
Lynn Stevenson

Aquatic Facility Steering Committee

Stephanie Acierno
Matthew Clute
Dwayne Dabbs (Rotary)
Dennis Doan (Gig Harbor Fire)
Patrick Gillespie (Peninsula School District)
Carter Gilmore
Efrain Gonzalez (Tom Taylor YMCA)
Jennifer Haro (City of Gig Harbor)
John Jolibois (Pierce County)
Beth Latendresse (direct appointee)
Diana Litsch
Heather Maher (direct appointee)
Jennifer Preston
Tina Shoemaker (Kiwanis Club of Gig Harbor)
Sarah Stancikas (direct appointee)
Joan Storkman
Alternates
Jason Davis
Sandra Estudillo
Gina Hammer
Peter Kaslik

DeMolay Sandspit master plan

Also Tuesday, commissioners moved toward adopting a master plan for improvements to the Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve on Fox Island. Final approval would come during the next meeting, on Feb. 21.

PenMet allocated $1.7 million from its 2023 capital budget toward developing the plan and implementing the highest priorities. Last year, it provided $245,000 to demolish a dilapidated house and beach shack on the property and build a picnic shelter if feasible. About $205,000 remained after the demolition.

Staff recommended carrying over the leftover funds and considering the picnic shelter as part of the master plan. The budget is now about $1.9 million.

PenMet took a step toward approving a master plan for Tacoma DeMolay Sandspit Nature Preserve.

The master plan will identify uses for the existing concrete block building, a potential shelter, pathway locations and accessibility improvements to the beach. Shoreline restoration being studied by Pierce Conservation District will be considered in the plan, but it won’t be funded out of the $1.9 million.

Shoreline restoration not in budget

The board in November gave the conservation district the go-ahead to proceed with a preliminary design that would remove failing bulkheads. The conservation district had acquired grants for a feasibility study and the preliminary design, which is expected to be completed in June. At that point, PenMet will determine whether and how to proceed. The conservation district would retain the lead and pursue the funding.

PenMet has moved its board meetings from Gig Harbor Civic Center to its own Arletta Schoolhouse, which opened to the public in November after a renovation.