CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Two members of the Senior Citizens Board called a special session meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Ajax Turner Senior Center, however, Clarksville Police blocked the public from entering the building until about 8 a.m.
Upon entering, with dozens in attendance, the two board members who called the meeting approved several motions, which included removing the board’s chairwoman and three other board members, and reinstating the executive director.
Terminated lease on building expired June 30
Earlier this year, City Mayor Joe Pitts terminated the lease of the Ajax Turner Senior Center nonprofit, which occupied the city-owned property at 953 Clark St. The existing lease expired on Tuesday, June 30.
Despite the lack of a lease, plans were made for the special session Senior Citizen Board meeting Wednesday at the Clark Street location.
When Clarksville Now arrived, dozens of people were waiting to be let inside, however, the main entrance was blocked by CPD. When Clarksville Now asked for an explanation, police at the scene declined to comment.
Kyle Shannon, an attorney for the Senior Board, spoke with the officers. “I addressed the Clarksville Police Department and advised that the City had no legal authority to change the locks, deny the nonprofit access to the premises, or exclude its board members, employees, and patrons absent a court order or writ of possession issued by a court,” Shannon told Clarksville Now. “Despite those objections, entry continued to be denied for approximately 30 minutes, requiring dozens of senior citizens to remain outside in unusually high temperatures.”
At around 8 a.m., police left and a crowd of about two dozen people entered the building. In all, 50-75 people attended, Shannon said.
When reached by Clarksville Now, the City of Clarksville declined to comment.
Special session meeting based on state statute
Once everyone was inside, the two board members in attendance, Lois Greider and Dr. Gregory Fryer, explained the purpose of the meeting. Fryer cited a Tennessee statue that allows two member of the board of directors to call and hold a special session meeting, despite the lack of a quorum.
“The other four (board members) have not shown up, so right now I am assuming they are abandoning the board,” he said. Fryer also referenced a previously scheduled Senior Citizen Board meeting that was canceled last minute, which was set to discuss the future of the center, according to previous reports.
Fryer said the other board members had not been responding to messages about Wednesday’s special session meeting, as well as questions about their future plans to remain on the board.
“Today is July 1; we have to get things done. We’re in this situation because of a lot of inaction,” Fryer said. “We have to make sure we are acting as a board to take care business of the board.” He said according to the Senior Board’s bylaws, the board has to vote on and approve board members annually.
Motions approved during meeting, member voices frustration
Several motions were made and approved, with the first being the removal of four members of the board due to inaction: Chairwoman Beverly Guynn, Otis Sanders, Maureen Potter and Rose Bennett.
“We prefer not to do it this way, but these are extenuating circumstances,” Fryer said.
Clarksville Now has reached out to Guynn for comment.
Another motion approved was to recognize and establish that the center’s former executive director, Rita Allsop, was not properly fired, which means she’s currently the acting executive director. A third motion approved was for attorneys representing the center to file an injunction against the City of Clarksville.
A center member in the audience, Mary Pagano, voiced frustration that she was not made aware of the special session meeting directly. She said she knows of several other Senior Center members who were not made aware of the meeting as well.
Other motions approved during the meeting dealt with who had access to the nonprofit’s bank account, board oversight of that account, as well as the acceptance of applications for those interested in joining the Senior Citizen Board.
Another meeting is expected to be scheduled soon on the future of the nonprofit. For their next meeting, one member suggested holding it at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library.
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