Updated with details on council approval process.
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City of Clarksville has released their plans and timeline for when the Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center, located at 953 Clark St., will open under new city management.
According to a city news release, the “City of Clarksville’s Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center,” will open under Clarksville Parks and Recreation management on July 1.
“At the beginning of the new fiscal year – July 1, 2026 – and with City Council approval, Parks & Recreation, led by Jennifer Letourneau, director, will officially assume all responsibility for the Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center’s facility, operations and programming.”
Funding for the changes is part of the City of Clarksville FY2027 budget, which the City Council will take up in the coming weeks.
The release said that beginning July 1, Parks and Recreation staff will spend several days extensively cleaning the facility, re-furnishing and replenishing equipment as needed, and onboarding and training personnel for daily operations, in preparation for a grand re-opening.
Grand re-opening scheduled, hiring process underway
The grand re-opening has been scheduled for July 20, and Letourneau said in the release that it will be a day of celebration for the Senior Citizens Center and everyone who both works in it and is served by it.
“This is an exciting time for us, as we get ready to re-open our city’s Senior Citizens Center featuring extensive improvements in management, facilities, services and programming,” Letourneau said.
Letourneau said work on a new programming calendar is already under way, and she and Mayor Joe Pitts have met with existing employees of the center to inform them of the positions being publicly posted for hiring.
That hiring process is already under way, and positions will be filled July 1, when Parks & Recreation officially assumes control at the facility.
“Clarksville Parks & Recreation is a nationally accredited agency and is equipped with the knowledge and resources to elevate the Senior Citizens Center to new heights of service and community satisfaction,” said the release.
“Its management of the facility will be directly aligned with the State of Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging’s strategic direction for expanding services and support to Clarksville’s aging constituents.”
With the transition, the Senior Center will be both owned and managed by the City of Clarksville supported by Clarksville’s tax-paying residents.
‘Existing, time-honored name of the center will remain intact’
“We are looking to change course and make major improvements, once and for all, with this vital, taxpayer-supported city asset,” Pitts said.
“We are not eliminating the Senior Citizen Center, despite what has been widely assumed and stated. Quite to the contrary, with City Council budgetary approval, we are looking to shift the oversight and management of our Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center to the City’s Parks & Recreation Department. The existing, time-honored name of the center will remain intact. That has always been the plan.”
Pitts said Parks & Recreation has the expertise and wide-ranging skill sets to not only assume responsibility but to improve the Senior Center, preserving existing programming while also bringing new activities and services into the mix.
“With these changes, the Center’s membership will always be consulted about facilities and services, as we certainly want to provide what the people who use the center want,” Pitts said. “And, as we do this, we’ll provide the full-time employees of the center with the city’s full range of benefits, plus training to improve their skills,” he said.
What’s next: City Council vote on funding changes
To make the changes possible, Parks & Recreation is asking for nine new, full-time positions and various part-time positions in the FY2027 budget, according Christen Wilcox, the City’s chief financial officer.
Funding for the Ajax Turner 50+ Center in that budget has been dropped from $800,000 to 0, while the Parks & Recreation budget has increased to cover the Senior Center’s operating costs, at $1.286 million, according to previous reports.
First reading of the budget is scheduled for June 11, and the second reading is June 16.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
| PREVIOUSLY:
- Ajax Turner Center director fired, adult daycare closed: ‘It can cause lasting damage to my father’
- Daughter of Ajax Turner addresses City Council, says city will take over ‘vacant building’
- City terminates Ajax Turner Senior Center’s lease, mayor says to ‘stabilize’ ongoing operations
- Ajax Turner Senior Citizens Center may be folded into Clarksville Parks & Rec
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