Ajax Turner Senior Center speakers urge council to reverse mayor’s lease termination; city moves to private legal session

Members and supporters of the Ajax Turner Senior Center told the Clarksville City Council on May 7 that a sudden, mayor‑initiated termination of the center’s lease threatens services for more than 1,400 members and asked the council to reverse the action.

Jill Turner Crow, who identified herself as the daughter of Ajax Turner, said the center — operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 1966 — received a registered letter from Mayor Joel Pitts terminating its lease and giving the organization 90 days to vacate. "The mayor used his power of his office to do this," she said, adding that the center was also asked to leave nonprofit assets behind. "That will never happen. These assets belong to the nonprofit."

Crow and other speakers said the center provides meals, adult day care and social services relied on by people with dementia, vision or hearing impairments, and residents who otherwise would be isolated. "We have people who only get three hot meals a day here," Rita Allsup told the council, and said staff have worked to correct problems she inherited when taking leadership. Louis Greider told councilors the center’s annual budget is "under $900,000" and warned that if the nonprofit is forced out the city will face added costs to equip and staff the building.

Residents and former officials also disputed the administration’s rationale. W. L. Burnett, a former city council member, said the center has money in the bank and asked for time and access to audit materials so the organization and the city can "find out what the problem is" before closing the facility. Mister Pulley (identified on the dais) said building repairs listed as violations appeared to have been performed by city maintenance and argued that the city — as landlord — should cover those costs.

Several speakers referenced a $2.5 million addition to the center built under prior leadership and said the facility was designed expressly for senior programming. Crow called on Mayor Pitts to "reverse the determination of our lease, seek proper city council approval for any actions facing the center, and engage with the Ajax Turner Senior Center under a new board, please, all working together and partnering for the betterment of our senior population." She also said the nonprofit would not abandon its assets to the city.

Near the end of the evening the city attorney requested and the council approved a motion to recess into a private attorney‑client session to discuss "threatened litigation" regarding the Ajax Turner Center; the clerk asked members of the public to leave the chambers while the council met in closed session.

The council did not vote on the center’s lease during the public meeting. The Ajax Turner speakers requested that the mayor restore the lease, permit the nonprofit to retain its assets, and work with a reconstituted board to preserve programming. The mayor and city legal staff have not released a written statement in the meeting transcript; the attorney‑client session occurred after public testimony, and no public decision was recorded in open session.

What’s next: the council convened a closed attorney‑client session to discuss legal options related to the Ajax Turner Center; councilors and staff indicated the session was to consider litigation risk and legal strategy. The transcript does not include the council’s private deliberations or a public follow‑up vote. Reporters seeking a response from Mayor Pitts or the city attorney should request any written notice or legal filings the city provided to the Ajax Turner Senior Center.