EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: November 15, 2022
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Patrick Heisinger, Interim City Manager
BY: Maurice Baker, Acting Community Services Manager
SUBJECT: East Palo Alto Senior Center Update
Recommendation
By motion:
1) Accept staff’s report on the partnership between the City and the East Palo Alto Senior Center;
2) Direct staff to work in collaboration with the Senior Center to submit a Letter of Interest to the County of San Mateo for Measure K funding; and
3) Direct staff to return to the City Council in early 2023 with further updates and recommendations for advancing the partnership between the City and Senior Center Inc.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 2: Enhance Economic Vitality
Priority No. 3: Increase Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Priority No. 4: Improve Public Facilities and Infrastructure Priority No. 5: Improve Communication and Enhance Community Engagement Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
In 2006, the City of East Palo Alto entered into a 30-year facility lease agreement with Senior Center Incorporated (SCI). With this lease and other support from the City, such as utility reimbursement and maintenance services, SCI has provided services and programs, including a breakfast program, tai-chi, and bingo, while partnering with the City to host the Congregate Lunch Program, supported by a grant opportunity from San Mateo County. With the closure of the facility in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SCI shifted to providing much-needed food services to the East Palo Alto community.
As restrictions relaxed from the Shelter-In-Place order, the Mayor, Vice Mayor, and staff have endeavored to ensure that the partnership with SCI become more cohesive and productive.
Beginning in May 2022, the Mayor, Vice Mayor, and staff met periodically with the Senior Center representatives to discuss the partnership, and SCI identified several improvements that were needed to update their facility at 560 Bell Street. In response, the City subsequently made several improvements including but not limited to: removing unused supplies from the Center, replacing all electrical fixtures, providing new furniture, updating the AC system, and installed a new fountain with water filtration system.
On June 17, 2022, the City and SCI worked collaboratively to host a joint reopening of the East Palo Alto Senior Center. From the success of this event, the City and SCI have made significant gains towards building a stronger relationship that has the intention of leading to a multi-year operational agreement and ultimately better opportunities for our most vulnerable elder community.
SCI and City representatives met on two additional occasions to discuss further opportunities for strengthening the relationship between both entities. The outcomes of these discussions have yielded mutual agreement regarding several key areas of partnership, as well as the mutual desire to pursue a future multi-year agreement detailing the roles and responsibilities of each entity from a programmatic standpoint.
In September 2022, the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence (CAFE) contacted the Mayor and Interim City Manager to evaluate the City’s desire to become “age-friendly” and join the AARP – World Health Organization (WHO) Network of Age Friendly Cities. CAFE has helped to establish Age-Friendly programs with the cities of Atherton, Belmont, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Portola Valley, and South San Francisco. The Mayor and Interim City Manager explained to CAFE that the City and SCI were in the process of reestablishing a relationship and that the City would reengage with CAFE when appropriate.
On October 25, 2022, the County of San Mateo released a Request for Letters of Interest (RFI) to determine whether organizations are interested in submitting proposals at a later date for a potential contract with the County to provide services to the population of older adult and adults with disabilities. Responses to the RFI are due by November 21, 2022.
The purpose of this staff report is to: 1) provide the City Council with a comprehensive update on the recent collaboration between the City and SCI; and 2) seek City Council authority to submit a letter of interest in response to the County’s Measure K RFI in partnership with SCI.
Analysis
It is imperative that the City and SCI enhance collaboration to deliver more services and programs to our residents. All parties have agreed that more may be accomplished by working together. After multiple meetings and continued relationship building, SCI and staff have structured an initial framework for a highly beneficial partnership; the framework highlights the following key areas:
Operations
• Updated emergency plans and procedures
• Amplification of communication and marketing plan
• Review of local best practices in surrounding communities • Combined fundraising efforts to address service, programming, and capital needs improvements to the facility.
Programming
• Increase the number of residents who visit the Senior Center • Combined outreach to senior residents for desired service needs through surveying • Addition of learning technology programs through partnerships • Solicitation of youth organizations for integration in senior activities • Continued execution of annual events and activities
• Reactivation of pre-pandemic programs and volunteer opportunities Services
• Quarterly reporting of services with Key Performance Indicators (KPI) • Expansion of available demographics to serve
• Updates to promotional methods (website and social media) • Monthly excursion calendar for increased attendance
Security
• Improved presence in Senior Center for protection of residents and staff • Modifications to physical building to enhance security • Establish a protocol for Senior Center closure
• Emergency preparedness updates and announcement
Administration
• Multi-year operational agreement focused potential City investments in services and programs
• Assistance with Board Development through professional consulting • Strategic planning for budgeting purposes
• Increased staffing for administrative efficiency
• Greater funding opportunities through partnership
Initial City Commitments
Using existing budget authority, staff has made the following commitments to SCI:
• Staff support. In-lieu of paying for a Security Guard, allocation of a part-time Recreation Leader to staff the counter at the Senior Center daily, from 9 AM to 1 PM. This position would report to City staff but focus primarily on addressing tasks at the Senior Center.
While there is adequate funding in the City’s budget to account for this expense, potential future investments will be contemplated in the City’s upcoming budget processes.
• Security improvements. The City will work with SCI to purchase and install a new electric door, “panic button,” and other improvements to better improve the security in and around the Senior Center.
• Securing trash. The trash area will be better secured and City will install more visible signage alerting to no illegal dumping. Further enhancements will be rolled out as issues arise when other entities and individuals utilize the Senior Center’s garbage facility.
• Staff will work with Police department to examine ways to provided increased presence or deterrents around Center parking lot in the evening hours.
Staff intends to complete the above items prior to the end of the calendar year.
Staff intends to continue working with CAFE, SCI, and other stakeholders regarding the potential achievement of the “age-friendly” designation. It is anticipated that this process will commence as early as December 2022. Staff recommends that the City, SCI, and the Senior Advisory Committee unit work in partnership with CAFE on this effort.
Finally, with regards to the County’s recent Measure K RFI, staff recommends that the City submit a letter, in collaboration with SCI, seeking Measure K funding to expand services at the Senior Center or elsewhere in the community. Funds are available for FY 2023-2024, so the City and SCI would have ample time to complete a comprehensive application when the County of San Mateo elects to receive official proposals.
Fiscal Impact
None.
Environmental
The action being considered by the City Council is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a “project” pursuant to 15378(b)(4) because it is a fiscal activity which does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant impact on the environment.
The action being considered does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378 (b)(5), in that it is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Awarding this contract is not a project under The California Environmental Quality Act (Section 21000, et. seq. of the California Public Resources Code, hereafter CEQA) because the action has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.