Senior Center Gets Spacious New Home Mid-City Concerns Will Move To Former Bakery On W. Second

A haven for downtown Spokane’s elderly poor has a new lease on life thanks to some well-off friends.

Mid-City Concerns Inc., which runs a senior center and catering service for house-bound elderly, last week signed a 25-year lease on a spacious West Second building.

At the 7,100-square-foot former bakery, Mid-City will consolidate its senior center and Meals on Wheels program, currently run at separate locations.

Spokane businessman Cliff Tvedten and the Comstock Foundation funded the move.

“We’re so extremely grateful and appreciative,” said Cheri Mataya, executive director of the agency. “I can now sleep at night.”

The senior center faced closure six months ago when its landlord suddenly canceled a lease and announced plans to turn the building at 1107 W. First into a children’s museum.

The 30-year-old agency dodged eviction when the museum moved elsewhere. But the scare prompted the board of directors to hunt for another, larger site.

The cash-strapped agency, which lost $6,300 last year, couldn’t afford several downtown locations, including the new place, said board president Carl Wilson.

A downtown site is necessary because most Mid-City senior center patrons live in the low-cost apartments that dot the city core, said Wilson.

The frustrating search ended last week when Tvedten, husband of a Mid-City board member, bought the $175,000 building on West Second and signed the group to the lease.

Tvedten, who owns Cascade Cable Constructors, admits he’ll lose money on the deal. “This is my way of helping out,” he said.

While the vacant building, formerly the Au Croissant bakery, badly needs renovation, other benefactors stepped in to foot the bill.

The Comstock Foundation pledged $107,000, the downtown neighborhood steering committee offered $25,000, and the Spokane Valley Foundation dropped off a $7,000 check.

It’s money well spent, say supporters.

“It’s really important to downtown that they have Mid-City Concerns,” said Sister Patty Beattie, who chairs the downtown community development committee. “It’s kind of a lifeline for the seniors.”

Mataya hopes the new center will open in April. With more spacious digs and an industrial-sized kitchen, Mataya hopes the federally funded food delivery program will expand beyond the city limits to neighborhoods in the north county.

Meals on Wheels served more than 24,000 meals last year, mostly to seniors who couldn’t afford to pay. The group has 1,500 volunteer drivers and runners, Mataya said.

The senior center will also grow, she said, providing more elbow room for the crowds that gather for weekly bingo games.

The elderly served by Mid-City are some of the poorest in the city. A quarter of the center’s patrons live on less than $500 a month, and almost all are without cars. Half survive on two meals a day, according to a survey.

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