ELLSWORTH – The Ellsworth Senior Center has been told it may need to find a new home after being housed in the basement of the old Ellsworth Public Library at 312 W. Main St. for decades.

The EPL this year moved to the upper level of the former BMO Harris Bank building at 388 W. Main St. after the village purchased the building and an extensive renovation was performed. According to Ellsworth Senior Center board member Phyllis Beastrom, the Senior Center has been in conversations with Ellsworth Village Board President Becky Beissel, former Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Nicole Stewart, current A/C-T Brad Roy and Building Committee Chair Andrew Borner for two years about their desire to move to the basement of the new library.

“We have expressed our need to raise ample money to fund it and have been looking for a path that we need to take to prove that we could move there,” Beastrom said.

Beastrom and Ellsworth Senior Center Director Janelle Braund said village board members have said in previous meetings while discussing the new library project of the intent to move the senior center to the new building.

Ellsworth Senior Center Relocation Committee members met with the village board’s Finance, Purchasing & Buildings Committee June 26.

“We were basically told that it was our responsibility to find our own new place before they sell the building,” Braund said.

According to Beissel, historically, the village has given the Senior Center use of the lower level of the old library building.

“They have done a wonderful job utilizing the space to its full potential and it’s been a great partnership for many years,” Beissel said. “With the move of the library to its new space, the village needed to take a look at three village-owned properties in the downtown and decide what makes the most sense moving forward.”

CBS2 has been enlisted to do a space needs assessment for the village. Their recommendation is that the village should consolidate from three properties to one, with the village offices and police department moving to the lower level of the new library. The current village hall/police department (130 N. Chestnut St.) and old library would be sold.

“The next step is for them to provide a rough concept of the space/use of that space,” Beissel said. “We hope to see that in the coming weeks; however, we have not received a date/timeline from them.”

History

Before the Senior Center moved into 312 W. Main St. on Oct. 1, 1971, the village offices were located there. The Senior Center at that time had 100 members or more, Beastrom said.

“They were very, very active and included a lot of men who remodeled the space, Beastrom said.

They built cupboards, spruced things up and painted the walls to make it a working facility. The Senior Center has had 13 directors since its inception and operates on an annual budget of about $40,000, which includes Braund’s salary. She began her role in March 2021.

Beastrom said in the early years, the village funded the Senior Center through Wisconsin Department of Aging grants and federal funds.

“They were very involved with the organization at first,” Beastrom said. “The men were very conscious of how much the village was spending by providing insurance, heat, a building rent free and utilities. They didn’t want to burden them more with expenses, so that’s why they did so much of the work themselves.”

Now, the primary service the Senior Center provides is packing and delivering food for Meals on Wheels. Nilssen’s brings the food there in big steamers and volunteers pack it up. Volunteers distribute meals around town to about 20-22 people.

“It’s a way people are checked on every day,” Beastrom said. “If no one comes to the door, it’s reported to the ADRC, who follows up.”

The Pierce County Aging & Disability Resource Center provides a monthly stipend to pay part of Braund’s salary. The village donates $2,700 per year to the Senior Center, along with the building use and utilities. The rest comes from donations.

Braund and Beastrom said the village told them in the June 26 meeting that the Senior Center would not be incorporated into the new library basement because there is no formal contract between them. They said they were told it’s their responsibility to find a new space. Beissel said in an email to The Journal that the village would consider a shared space with them in the new library’s lower level.

“It really depends on what the space/use concept comes back with,” she said. “The Senior Center is an important asset in our community and the village is interested in supporting their success in the future.”

She added that the village feels a shared space would work well for them.

“Ellsworth High School Principal Oran Nehls has expressed an interest in welcoming them to use space in the high school,” Beissel said. “I’m not sure where those discussions are at.”

Braund said a grant was applied for to finish off the new library’s lower level for the Senior Center, but it wasn’t received.

“We didn’t get it and after that, they (the village) didn’t talk to us,” Braund said. “We want to know what we can do to present, design, raise the money. What do we need to do to prove that we can move into there. We are looking for a path and we’re willing to do that. We did not think it was the village’s responsibility to find a location for the Senior Center.”

Braund said she’s reached out to the village every six months or so to see where the Senior Center stands but was told it was on the backburner as the new village staff and board acclimated to their new roles. She feels she’s being led on and the village is dragging its feet.

Braund said she toured the new library’s lower level about 1.5 years ago with Beissel to see if it would be a good fit. She received a report from Ayres on Feb. 3, 2022.

“The space we looked at would have been sufficient for us,” Braund said. “We could have done the meals, had a nice meeting area, nice office area, two pool tables, foot care. But they put us off at the end of 2022 because they were going to a do a space assessment.”

Braund said she met with Roy on Feb. 28, 2023 and he said the village was doing the space assessment and nothing could be decided until then. He suggested looking at alternatives such as the high school.

“The idea is wonderful, having the generations working together,” Beastrom said. “But the parking is not a good situation for seniors because there is not a lot of handicap parking. It’s not a safe venture for a lot of seniors.”

Beastrom said they’ve been looking at other buildings but haven’t found anything suitable. The Senior Center has about 40 regular members, but sometimes more than 50 people come to events. Recruiting more members might be easier with a larger space.

“A building on Main Street would need at least 20 parking spots, I would guess,” she said. “When we have activities it’s full.”
A building would need to have a kitchen, meeting room, bathrooms, and space for two pool tables. The current Senior Center’s ramp is too steep and not safe, Beastrom said. Suggestions they’ve looked into are C3 Church, Hancock Lodge, the old Tried & True storefront, but none are large enough or need extensive remodeling. The group hosts multiple events and outings per month, including Discover Together Tuesdays, card games, pool, speakers, and more.

“The first question people ask is when are you moving and we never know. They are all assuming we are moving underneath the library,” Braund said.

“We really need to have a location, an empty building that would be suitable that would be handicap accessible,” Beastrom said. “We do need our own space.”

Look for the Ellsworth Senior Center’s monthly events published in The Journal.