UPDATE: On Nov. 22, seniors reported that upon presenting the board with the petition for a special meeting of the general membership, the board rejected the document and refused to hold a meeting. The petition contained 55 signatures, well over the 20 needed for a special meeting of the general membership as per IVS bylaws.

On the morning of Nov. 21, David Waggoner did something he has not been able to do for nearly two years — he walked into the Issaquah Valley Senior Center.

Over 30 members of the senior center came out to support Waggoner as he celebrated the lifting of the no-trespass orders that the IVS Board of Directors had placed against him and Regina Poirier in early 2015 for alleged harassment and elder abuse, respectively.

The no-trespass orders were lifted as part of the settlement agreement of a lawsuit filed by Waggoner, Poirier and Gregory Wagner against the IVS Board.

“In accordance with the terms of the settlement, the Issaquah Valley Seniors has withdrawn the no trespass notices served on Regina Poirier and David Waggoner in 2015,” the IVS Board said in a statement. “In the confidential settlement, neither party has admitted liability and, in fact, expressly denied it.”

The statement went on to say that “the Issaquah Valley Seniors hereby retract any allegation that Regina Poirier, David Waggoner or Gregory Wagner abused, bullied, harassed or attempted to abduct any senior or vulnerable adult.”

Supporters of Waggoner and Poirier have said that the two seniors only received no-trespass orders because they had spoken up and questioned the senior center leadership’s management of finances.

Armed with boxes of maple bars to share with everyone, Waggoner crossed the threshold of the senior center without fear that police would be waiting to force him back out.

“It feels really, really wonderful,” Waggoner said. “It feels really good to see the support of so many friends.”

The group of supporters included Issaquah Mayor and senior center member Fred Butler and former Councilmember David Kappler.

The lawsuit settlement came at the end of a nearly two-year saga between the senior board, senior center members and the city of Issaquah. On Nov. 8, two months after the resignation of former executive director Courtney Jaren, the board announced that the city of Issaquah will be taking over the senior center on Jan. 1, 2017.

A letter from the city to the board stated that this decision was made because IVS failed in 23 out of 26 standards to provide the services of a senior center.

“We always just wanted a senior center that was for our seniors,” Waggoner said.

The clouds in the sky lifted and the sun shone down on the senior center on the morning of Waggoner’s celebration, mirroring the joyous atmosphere inside. With the lawsuit concluded, the no-trespass orders lifted and the city set to take charge of the senior center in January, the general mood of the seniors seemed to be immense relief.

“Finally, truth and justice prevailed,” Toni Patterson said.

“Hopefully the problem has been taken care of and we can start fresh and go back to what we had years ago,” Jack Wishhart said.

With his friends looking on, Waggoner walked up to the front desk of the senior center and paid his membership dues, officially renewing his membership in the senior center.

Waggoner’s action inspired a trend, as others who had previously not been senior center members went to the front desk and joined the center. Kappler had been denied membership twice before, despite being the correct age and living in Issaquah, but with the IVS Board’s loss of power, he was able to finally become a member.

Colleen Perry said that she felt safe in the senior center for the first time in years. Perry said that she had previously been verbally abused and threatened with a no-trespass order like Waggoner’s after inviting Lee Scheeler to dinner at the center. Scheeler was the man whom Jaren and the board had accused Poirier of abusing.

“Courtney called me into her office and reprimanded me. If I talked to [Scheeler] any more about Regina [Poirier], or if she heard from anyone else that I had, I would be trespassed,” Perry said. “It put a tremendous amount of fear into my soul … It was pretty awful to walk in all the time wondering if the police were going to come.”

Perry continued that “it was all very threatening, and the mood around here was not good whatsoever.”

While the Nov. 21 gathering was a celebration of victory for the seniors present, there was one person who was not present to share in the festivities. Poirier passed away on Nov. 3 from cancer.

“I wish Regina was here to see this and feel this,” Waggoner said.

Though she was not physically at the senior center, Poirier was not far from anyone’s thoughts, and her friends said that she was there in spirit. Seniors set up a small memorial on a table at the center, with a photo of Poirier and a candle.

Perry said that Poirier had been put through undeserved abuse by IVS leadership, and that she had simply been trying to disclose what should by definition have been public information to members of the senior center.

“Regina was very concerned about where the money was going, which should be open to the public,” Perry said.

While gathered together, the seniors signed a petition to hold a general meeting of senior center membership before the dissolution of IVS as a nonprofit at the end of the year. Topics the seniors intend to discuss include “disposition of furniture, fixtures and other property located inside the senior center and disposition of vehicles used by the senior center,” an “updated financial report, current financial records and the 2015 IRS Form 990” and a “reading of former executive director Jaren’s resignation letter.”

According to IVS bylaws, a special meeting of the general membership can be held at the request of 20 or more seniors.

David Waggoner happily pays his membership dues, becoming a member of the senior center once again. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

As a member of the senior center, David Waggoner signs a petition requesting a special meeting of seniors. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

A group of seniors, including Issaquah Mayor Fred Butler, signed a petition to hold a special public meeting before the city takes over on Jan. 1. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

A group of seniors, including Issaquah Mayor Fred Butler, signed a petition to hold a special public meeting before the city takes over on Jan. 1. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

A notice at the senior center states that the no-trespass orders against David Waggoner and Regina Poirier have been lifted. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

A notice at the senior center states that the no-trespass orders against David Waggoner and Regina Poirier have been lifted. Nicole Jennings/staff photo

Seniors set up a memorial at the senior center to pay tribute to the late Regina Poirier, who was trespassed from the senior center for nearly the last two years of her life. Nicole Jennings/staff photo