The Salt Lake County Council at its meeting on Tuesday said potential options and solutions will be explored with community partners before any final decisions are made to permanently close the Tenth East Senior Center in Salt Lake City.
The County Council’s slight Republican majority voted 5-4 along party lines earlier this month in favor of recommending the closure of the facility, after $10 million in renovation efforts to reconstruct the aging building began in September.
“Last week, our council had discussed the senior center a little bit more and talked about how we needed to look into maybe some other options,” said Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton, at Tuesday’s meeting.
Winder Newton proposed closing the facility during the council’s Nov. 4 meeting as Salt Lake County’s Aging and Adult Services unveiled its 2026 budget request of $926,000.
The county division cited growing demands for its services and the increasing costs associated with keeping them afloat.
“There is a substantial increase in the number of older adults in Salt Lake County,” Kelly Colopy, Salt Lake County Human Services director, told the County Council during the Nov. 4 meeting. “We’ve had a 19% increase over the last five years, and (a) 28% increase is expected over the next 10 years.”
During that meeting, those in support of the measure to close the center said that it will save the county millions as the council grapples with challenging budget decisions. Those against it argued that it would be “fiscally irresponsible” as they have already dished out $3 million on a project that wouldn’t see completion.
A pause for potential possibilities
The council’s decision to temporarily halt the vote comes amid pushback from the public, which appears to strongly oppose the center’s closing.
Winder Newton told KSL.com Wednesday afternoon that another factor that inspired her to “give pause” on the matter was an email she received from the East Central Community Council.
In a letter sent to Winder Newton on Nov. 17 by East Central Community Council Chairwoman Esther Hunter, the council asked the county to hold off on permanently closing the Tenth East Senior and allow them time to explore different solutions and partnerships that could keep the center open in a fiscally viable way, once construction ends.
In the letter obtained by KSL.com, Hunter writes:
“We are asking for your support to allow the refurbishing and construction of the center to continue and to allow a window of time for the exploration of ideas that consider a long-term fiscal solution for the operation and maintenance of this center without being a burden. We believe it is possible. We believe this center to be needed due to the density of seniors in this area,” an excerpt from the letter reads.
Although the county operates the Tenth East Senior Center, the property where the building sits is owned by Salt Lake City. Winder Newton said the County Council is looping the city in for its considerations on what to do with the property going forward.
“I talked to Salt Lake City and was like, ‘Hey, would you guys consider taking over the building and finishing the renovation — and then you pay for the deferred maintenance — and then we (the county) run the programming,’” she explained. “Because we’re getting so much deferred maintenance costs that it’s just kind of killing us.”
The County Council was originally slated to vote on the proposed measure of ramping down renovation efforts and closing the senior center for good at its meeting on Dec. 9.
But that vote is seemingly on hold, at least for the time being.
“I think it’s fair to say this senior center will not be closing as of right now,” Winder Newton told KSL.com. “They are having discussions with other potential community partners to see if there’s a way to still make it work, where the county provides the programming and somebody else, you know, takes care of the building or something like that.”
During Tuesday’s meeting, Winder Newton proposed taking $360,000 of the budget that Salt Lake County’s Aging and Adults requested for staff, and use it to fund other purposes within the division, since the Tenth East Senior Center is now closed due to construction.
Yet, the council heard from seniors and community members during Tuesday’s public comment portion of the meeting, who fear losing the Tenth East Senior Center.
“We need to be strong and healthy and happy; we need social connection,” Kathy Bearden, a 77-year-old resident told the County Council. “I ask for your support in keeping the senior centers open, as well as providing child care.”
Optimism amid uncertainty
Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison, a Democrat who opposes closing the senior center, expressed her compassion at Tuesday’s meeting to those seniors who frequent the Tenth East facility and are concerned for its future.
“It’s really hard, and as someone that cares about building community and supporting folks at all ages in our county, I want you to know we’re going to continue to work for you,” she said.
Hunter says the East Central Community Council believes a renovated and robust Tenth East Senior Center would be a vital resource as aging populations in that area of Salt Lake City continue to grow.
“There’s so many partners that are interested in the central location, providing services. And so I think we just really welcome the opportunity to explore those things, but it’s got to be the seniors first,” she said.
The debate over the Tenth East Senior Center comes as the County Council prepares to vote on the proposed 2026 budget, which includes a nearly 20% tax increase for all Salt Lake County residents at its next meeting on Dec. 9. A public hearing will be held that night for those who want to weigh in, starting at 6 p.m.