Senior Center board votes to dissolve itself

The Costa Mesa Senior Center board voted Tuesday to begin the process of dissolving the nonprofit corporation that currently operates the ailing center.

Board members voted 7 to 1 in favor of forming an ad hoc committee that would create a timeline for dissolving the board. The committee will receive guidance from the board’s attorney.

Treasurer Ron Frankiewicz opposed dissolution because he said it might open board members up to liability. He declined President Judy Lindsay’s request that he participate on the ad hoc committee.

“We’re losing our insurance and protection, so I refuse to participate,” he said, explaining that if the board isn’t covered as a nonprofit corporation, it’s vulnerable to lawsuits.

The board’s decision comes nearly a week after the City Council voted to terminate Costa Mesa’s existing agreement with the senior center, effectively starting a 90-day takeover process. City staffers have been present at the West 19th Street facility since June 11 to help run the center.

Officials said the takeover actions were needed to address the center’s failing finances, reduction in programs and services and complaints of poor treatment of seniors.

Senior center board members were unable to come up with a target date for the board’s dissolution during Tuesday’s meeting. However, Frankiewicz said disbanding the board could take months, and board member Stella Adkins seemed to agree.

“I think it’s going to take a while for this to get resolved,” she said. “I don’t think it’s going to happen overnight.”

Eventually, the council will decide whether to create an advisory committee for the senior center, said Councilwoman Wendy Leece.

Since the council’s vote last week, the city has issued 211 free senior center memberships, 61 people have accepted invitations to a reinstated Independence Day celebration at the center and an additional 10 have become new volunteers, according to a city news release.

Board members and Executive Director Aviva Goelman spent several minutes during Tuesday’s meeting criticizing the Daily Pilot’s recent coverage of the center.

Negative publicity has contributed to the center’s financial problems and caused a sharp decline in the center’s fundraising efforts, Goelman said.

“The paper is trash,” she said.

Frankiewicz emphasized that the board and the city have been aware of the center’s financial problems for quite a while.

“The city has known about our situation for two years,” he said. “It’s mindboggling to me that now the drama has hit.”