King County is facing a whopper of a budget shortfall, so they’re cutting back everywhere, including the Greenwood Senior Center at 525 N. 85th St. In past years, the Center regularly received $5,100 from the county. For the past two years, council member Larry Phillips arranged to supplement that with another $5,000 to $10,000 for a social worker.
But, the county’s latest budget eliminates GSC’s funding completely. A number of other senior centers will continue to receive funding – often far more than Greenwood’s past amount – including Black Diamond ($32,338), Burien ($42,662), and Maple Valley and Mount Si (both $50,000).
The GSC recently became a program of the Phinney Neighborhood Association. PNA Executive Director Ed Medeiros is asking Greenwood/Phinney residents to email council members Larry Phillips, Bob Ferguson and Larry Gossett to ask them to put that modest amount back in the budget.
“Senior citizens are one of the most rapidly increasing populations in our community, yet funding for programs for seniors is being cut,” Medeiros says.
