La Crosse senior center, climate change get La Crosse city council’s attention in January

A proposal to end a dispute between the city of La Crosse and a community center for seniors is headed to a city council committee for a hearing Thursday night.

On Tuesday, Mayor Mitch Reynolds asked the Board of Public Works to hold off on a hearing about the future of the Harry J. Olson Senior Center, so comments could be taken by the council Finance and Personnel Committee (agenda here).

Some city residents had gone to City Hall on Tuesday morning, prepared to speak on the plan to let the senior center remain at the former church site it has occupied since the 1970s.

The Harry J Olson Senior Center hopes to buy the city-owned building, despite already turning down an offer by the mayor to purchase it with conditions for $1.

The center’s lease ran out years ago and it has been given multiple notices to leave the premises.

In other council business, the Judiciary and Administration Committee met Tuesday, and sent a climate action plan to the full council for a vote next week.

Two citizens spoke to the committee supporting the plan for local activities to avoid climate change.