From:
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: Senior Center Building
Date: Monday, August 4, 2025 11:50:07 AM
Hello, Mary with appreciation to you and Sebastopol City Council members, Barbara
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Public Comment – Support for Formal Appraisal of Senior Center Building Dear Honorable City Council Members,
I am writing to express my strong support for the City of Sebastopol to conduct a formal appraisal of the building currently housing the Sebastopol Area Senior Center.
The Center has been a vital part of our community for 56 years, offering essential services, social connection, health and wellness programs, free transportation, and educational opportunities to older adults throughout the region. Our current building is full of heart, however, it is increasingly limited in its ability to meet the growing and evolving needs of our senior population.
A formal appraisal is a logical and necessary step to explore the potential of leveraging the building’s value toward purchasing or developing a new space that better supports accessibility, programming, and long-term sustainability for your constituents. This move would not only benefit seniors by providing a safer, more functional facility, but it could also benefit the City by allowing for the strategic repurposing or sale of a valuable city asset.
This is not a request for immediate action, but a thoughtful step forward, and an opportunity to assess options that could result in a win-win outcome for both the City and our older adult residents.
I hope you will prioritize this appraisal as a show of support for the health, dignity, and inclusion of our senior community.
With appreciation,
Barbara A Harris
Resident (52 years), Volunteer and Participant, Sebastopol Senior Center