Seniors continue to keep WASI board on its toes

WASILLA — The fitness center has new equipment and classes. The monthly newsletter is now being emailed to all members. Board meetings are open to the public and are becoming more and more open with each passing month.

Wasilla Area Seniors Inc. has come a long way in the last several months, it seems, thanks in part to vocal members who demanded those changes.

At Thursday’s WASI Board meeting, it became clear there’s still some work to do before everyone’s satisfied, however.

Questions about why the latest financial audit wasn’t presented during a public meeting, why a new marketing director was hired when Executive Director Sondra Kaplan had said the last one was cut because of funding issues, and why WASI’s articles of incorporation and bylaws still haven’t been squared continue to keep the board on its toes.

Aside from a few unhappy members who spoke during public comments, new board members John Weaver and Mike Chmielewski were the ones asking the toughest questions during the meeting.

After Chmielewski turned down the board’s appointment as secretary until a full board is seated, the former Palmer city councilman pointed out that the board needs to be careful to make sure it’s acting above board and following all rules governing member-led nonprofit organization.

Movement by some board members to monitor documents distributed by members during meetings didn’t sit well with Chmielewski. He was particularly averse to the word “propaganda” being used in a proposed policy for tighter control over materials passed out during board meetings by those from the senior rights group Mat-Su Elder Watch.

“I understand the intent is to ensure privacy and protect members from false advertising, but the real trick is to balance freedom to have the materials with the willy-nilly distribution of documents that appear to have board approval,” Chmielewski said.

Kaplan asked the board how it’s supposed to know what’s appropriate for distribution by members if it isn’t able to review it first.

“A free press does not apply to membership at a private nonprofit,” Kaplan argued. “You don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you if someone isn’t looking at it first. We don’t have a policy with disgruntled members coming through the door and passing out materials to other members.

Kaplan also said former marketing manager Diana Straub was no longer working there because she had moved on to other things, not because of WASI finances, as she had previously reported to the board. She said the new marketing manager, Jessica McGill, is worth every penny.

Chmielewski and Weaver urged the board to align the organization’s articles of incorporation with its bylaws as soon as possible — not to wait until the annual membership meeting and elections in October.

“There are a couple of inconsistencies between those documents,” Weaver said. “We need to look at that right away. We don’t want to wait on that.”

Board member Carl Tinsley reiterated the need for more volunteers at the center. He and board president Mary Sears have pleaded with members for the past several months to help with various tasks at the center off Knik-Goose Bay Road.

Tinsley said volunteers are needed to help with bingo on Wednesdays.

“If we get more people to volunteer for more things, we could move forward in a better fashion,” Tinsley said, with Sears adding it would save WASI money by preventing more funds being used to pay staff to do what volunteers could do.

On the brighter side, Kaplan said the new Strong Seniors exercise classes on Mondays and Wednesdays are off to a great start, and two new treadmills and an ergonomic strength tower have been added to the fitness center, thanks to funding by the Mat-Su Health Foundation.

Kaplan also reported that the new chef is getting rave reviews and that staff served a total of 4,569 meals in May.

Sears said fundraising is continuing for the Meals on Wheels program and it is hoped to have a big turnout for the Miles for Meals 5K Fun Run July 2 at the senior center. The event starts at 11 a.m. at the Wasilla Senior Campus and includes a barbecue, prizes and a raffle.

Wasilla City Councilwoman Dianne Woodruff, who has attended most WASI board meetings as a private citizen for the past several months, said after the meeting she is encouraged by the positive changes she’s seeing with WASI and hopes the momentum toward transparency continues.

“Members need to remain diligent to make sure those changes continue for the better,” said Woodruff, who recently announced she has joined the race to become Wasilla’s next mayor in October.

The next WASI Board of Directors meeting is at 9 a.m., July 14, in the center’s conference room in the back of the dining hall.

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.