This column in Tualatin Life is brought to you each issue by the Tualatin Area Aging Task Force. This task force has been meeting monthly for over ten years. We are an independent group of volunteers whose mission is to ensure the highest quality of life for the diverse over-50 population in the Tualatin area. We look at issues of all kinds affecting seniors in the Tualatin community, whether it be housing, transportation, available resources, needed resources, local and state elections and ballot measures – any topic that does or will have an effect on the livability of seniors.
The Task Force is currently a committee of 14, ages 40 to 93, most retired from a variety of careers, bringing knowledge, history and wisdom to our discussions. We may be seniors, but we are not old (sound familiar from a previous column?), and a little gray hair is a small price to pay for all this accumulated wisdom plus our energy and dedication to the senior community. We are fortunate to have the Mayor of Tualatin sit on this committee, which keeps us up to date on what is happening in the community. We also have good working relationships with our City and County staff, TriMet, Metro, state elected officials and medical professionals. We have represented the senior community on a variety of City focus groups, including the Moving Forward bond, downtown redevelopment, Parks bond, transportation plan update and the 2040 plan for the future of Tualatin in 20 years. We have been and continue to be a voice and advocate for seniors and have contributed to and affected change with our voice for you.
At our September meeting, we voted to have Mobility as our top issue of concern for the fall. Our other concerns are healthcare, housing, home independence/safety and social interaction. Here is our reasoning for picking mobility as our first choice, and I quote from one of our members: “My most important concern is Mobility. It will bring us safe streets, safe sidewalks, safe bus stops, safe crosswalks, access to local circular, local and regional bus service, and rail and air transportation services. Without mobility, we will have problems achieving the targeted goals we set for any other concerns as they are interrelated. For example, with Healthcare, mobility provides access to doctors, specialists, pharmacies, emergency rooms, physical therapy, hearing and vision clinics, hospitals and post-hospital services.”
What do you think? We want to hear from you. You are welcome to attend any of our meetings (and you don’t have to be a senior) – the second Monday of the month, at the Juanita Pohl Center, 3:00 pm-4:00 pm. Two other important City meetings are coming up, and you will need to register for each one:
Community Discussion – Monday, September 30 – Barriers and Solutions to Housing – 6:00 – 7:30 pm, Tualatin City Services, 10699 SW Herman Road, virtual option available; check the City website.
Lunch & Learn – Tuesday, October 15 – Using Local Transit – 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm, Juanita Pohl Center, 8513 SW Tualatin Road in Community Park.
Don’t be old – step up – stand up – speak up!
