Despite a still-recovering economy, Gary Kingsbury seems to have caught a break as he took over as director of the Northshore Senior Center in March.

Kingsbury’s predecessor, Lee Harper, at least twice sounded the alarm and tried to mobilize local support for the center’s adult day health program.

Serving more than 200 seniors last year, Lee said the program was in jeopardy from state and county funding cuts.

According to Kingsbury and the center’s 2009 annual report, the program lost participants in July and August of last year due to Medicaid cuts. When those participants later were able to return to the program, Kingsbury said care providers in Northshore and elsewhere were able to empirically show a degrading of the health of those persons temporarily forced out of day programs.

With the help of that ammunition, according to Kingsbury, Olympia passed subsequent funding for adult day health with “no fuss.”

“For this year,” Kingsbury said, “we are in good shape.”

But he doesn’t make any assumptions about next year regarding funding for day health programs or any other programs run through the Northshore Center that last year served some 7,600 seniors in Bothell, Kenmore, Woodinville, Kirkland and Mill Creek.

Kingsbury added the center receives up to two-thirds of its funding from government sources. But even as center expenses rise, Kingsbury said he knows the various levels of government continue to face revenue challenges.

“We can’t expect the government to give any more,” he said. “It might be tough to maintain the current government funding.”

With that in mind, as he continues to settle into his new spot, Kingsbury said finding alternative forms of revenue has become one of his priorities.

For the future, Kingsbury plans on bringing professional theater to the Bothell facility on East Riverside Drive. From mid-September through early October, the Attic Theater will present “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” a musical Kingsbury said has played to great success elsewhere. Kingsbury didn’t seem to expect to raise a great deal of money with the play, but said it also would serve to raise the center’s visibility and hopefully attract new visitors.

Incidentally, Kingsbury might know a thing or two about what plays work and what plays don’t. Before arriving at the Northshore Center, he was director of Seattle’s Tap Root Theater.

In addition to the play, the Northshore Center already is promoting a partnership with the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce to present Senior Day in Bothell, Sept. 14.

Kingsbury said the event will take place on downtown Bothell’s Main Street, with entertainment and plenty of activities. The Northshore Center has invited other similar centers to participate and Kingsbury said he hopes Bothell becomes filled with partying seniors and other guests.

In terms of programming, Kingsbury said Northshore and maybe society as a whole needs to get ready for what he called a sort of senior tsunami as “Baby Boomers” continue to grow older. He particularly sees growth in the need for caregiver services and transportation.

“Transportation just has to grow,” he said. “So many seniors and disabled persons already are hurting in that area.”

Kingsbury noted that due to budget restraints, public bus lines in King and Snohomish counties both have reduced their service and more cuts certainly are possible.

In 2009, the Northshore Center provided some 34,674 rides to 3,840 older adults and persons with disabilities.

Besides expanding certain services, Kingsbury also talked about revamping others in response to the needs of the “Baby Boomers.” For example, Kingsbury said many “Boomers” are working well into their 70s, something that generally didn’t happen in earlier generations. With that in mind, a senior program scheduled for 2 p.m. might not attract too many “Boomers” who still are working.

With a background in strategic planning, Kingsbury has been involved with nonprofits since 1996. He said the fact he is a “Boomer” himself no doubt played into his decision to apply for the spot as Northshore director.

“There’s a personal interest there,” he said. “It’s kind of a good fit.”