Members of the Rainier City Council convened on Tuesday, Sept. 8, for their regular monthly meeting inside Rainier City Hall.
During the meeting, Rainier City Councilor Tom Arnbrister read a letter of thanks from Rainier Senior Center secretary Linda Johnson.
Johnson thanked the council for approval of a city grant they received earlier this year, totaling $2,500, which will support operations at the senior center.
“We appreciate your donation and loyal support,” Johnson said in the letter. “This year’s donation helped us tremendously.”
Rainier Senior Center staff used the grant money to replace old rain gutter downspouts on the outside of the center that were leaking and damaging the building, along with baseboards inside.
“Our members appreciate the donation more than words can express,” Johnson added. “Our senior center is run by all volunteer staff and has been supported through member donations since we opened in 1976. We became a 501(c) organization and purchased the Rainier historical school gymnasium for $1. Local citizens managed to move the building to its present location, and provided nourishing and balanced home-cooked meals without any government agency. Most of our seniors live on fixed incomes. We serve an average 40 to 45 lunches on Mondays and Wednesdays. Many seniors say these are the only hot meals they receive during the week.”
The Rainier Senior Center, located at 108 Michigan St. S. in Rainier, also offers free hot meals to seniors on the holidays.
Additionally, after a Rainier resident spoke during public comment challenging a code enforcement violation she received, Councilor Maureen Baker volunteered to be on the city’s code violation appeals commission to review the challenge.
Also during the meeting, the council approved a proclamation declaring Sept. 15 National Voter Registration Day in Rainier ahead of the upcoming November general election. For more information on how to register to vote or to update your voter registration as a Thurston County resident, visit the Thurston County Auditor’s Office website at https://tinyurl.com/5fk99bxz.
