Mayville Senior Center to Remain at City Center After Compromise with City, EMS

The Mayville Senior Citizen group may remain in its longtime home at the Mayville Senior Center following a compromise reached with city officials, reversing an earlier decision to remove the group and make way for EMS training in the space.
The decision comes after a period of uncertainty and pushback from the senior group, which serves residents from Mayville and surrounding communities at its location in the City Center on North Walnut Street. Built in 1980, the Mayville Senior Center has served as a home and sanctuary for area seniors for the past 46 years.
Earlier this month, the Mayville Common Council moved to remove Mayville Senior Citizens Inc. from the Senior Center to accommodate a new regional EMS training space.
The announcement of the group’s removal sparked a strong response from senior center members and the wider community. In response, city staff met with representatives of the Senior Center Board on Feb. 18 to discuss possible solutions.
The result is a shared-use plan that will allow both Mayville EMS and the Senior Center to use the building at 330 N. Walnut St. Under the agreement, the senior group will have access to the center Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., while Mayville EMS will use the space for training sessions in the mornings and evenings. Additional security measures will also be added to accommodate EMS requirements.

“It’s going to give the city EMS service access to the building so they can have their training when they have half-day sessions…to fill that request, and then the senior center will have their hours of operation Monday through Friday from 12:30 to 4:30,” said Mayor Rob Boelk in an interview with the Pionier. “We’re going to have a secured area in the building as well.”
Full-day EMS classes will be held at the new library, as the senior center will occupy the space during its scheduled hours.
Boelk said the compromise is expected to bring much-needed extra income to the city through EMS training while maintaining services for area seniors.
“The senior center is going to stay functional and operational at the current location, and…the city will be able to generate some extra income on the EMS training center. We have a big customer coming in, and that kind of prompted this change because it’s…thousands of dollars of extra revenue coming into the city through the EMS,” he said.
In a social media post, Boelk also said: “I believe this compromise represents a balanced solution that supports our growing EMS training program while preserving dedicated time and space for our seniors. We also agreed to improve communication moving forward to help prevent unintended consequences in the future. Open dialogue with board members and city officials will be a priority so this issue will not take place in the future.”
The mayor noted the process has provided an opportunity for renewed communication between city officials and the senior board after years without direct discussion.
The Mayville Common Council will review the shared space agreement at its next meeting on March 9.
Boelk emphasized that the city’s intention was to do what’s best for taxpayers, and he encouraged residents interested in joining the senior center to reach out to the board.
Look out for updates on this story in future editions of the Dodge County Pionier.