The small office belonging to Ed Medeiros in the Phinney Neighborhood Center does not look like the office of someone less than three months away from retirement.

Papers, folders and Post-Its cover nearly every surface. The calendar on the wall does not, at first glance, appear to contain any empty squares. And, one of the walls is home to hundreds of faces from the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s history.

But this January, after nearly 30 years as the executive director of the Phinney Neighborhood Association, Medeiros will be stepping down.

Though he will remain active in the association, Medeiros said it is time for a change.

"I'm not going to totally disconnect," he said. "But, I have three grandchildren and probably more on the way, and I want to be an active part of their lives."

Medeiros was there from the beginning of the association and Phinney Neighborhood Center.

In the late 70s, the Phinney Community Council received a $200,000 community development grant from the city, he said.

After a number of brainstorming sessions between the community and city, it was decided that what the neighborhood wanted was a community center, he said.

"A lot of people in the community were not native Seatteites," said Medeiros, who originally attended the meetings to lobby for parking strip trees. "We felt there was a strong need to be connected in some way."

The money was eventually used for a number of social services, including a preschool co-op, a recycling program and a community center.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association was created to oversee the new services, and in 1981 the Seattle School District closed the alternative school at 6532 Phinney Ave. N. and the Phinney Neighborhood Center was born.

What started as a laugh with his wife turned into a career for Medeiros when he was hired as executive director in 1981.

Medeiros, who holds a doctorate in molecular biology, was working for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center as research associate when he borrowed a book on running community centers written by the head of a community center in Lake City.

"I told my wife, 'I think I'm going to quit science and become a community center director,'" he said. "We both had a big laugh. Three years later that's what I did."

Under Medeiros' watch, the Phinney Neighborhood Association outgrew its original vision.

In addition to the Phinney Neighborhood Center, the association operates two soup kitchens, a child care program at Whittier Elementary, a preschool co-op and the Greenwood Senior Center.

In February, the association secured the purchase of the neighborhood center after 30 years of leasing it, allowing for more growth in the years to come.

Medeiros said the association has been able to succeed because it is not a typical top-down organization but operates from the bottom up. Meaning, it acts more as a facilitator for the community than a director.

"Almost all our programs started because people in the community wanted them and were willing to work toward them," he said.

For example, the association will be starting a Spanish immersion preschool in January. Spanish-speaking members of the community started the idea for the school, and the association is providing them with support, Medeiros said.

Throughout his 29 years with the Phinney Neighborhood Association, Medeiros said he is most proud of the talented staff he has been able to gather and keep, which makes his job and the job of the association much easier.

"The legacy I leave behind is a really strong organization, a really strong staff and this facility and all the opportunities it provides for the community," he said.

During the waning months of Medeiros' tenure as executive director, the Phinney Neighborhood Association is showing no signs of slowing down.

It is in the middle of a $12 million capital campaign for neighborhood center improvements, including a new roof, elevator and park.

Medeiros said it is a difficult time for him to leave because there is so much exciting work going on. But, it is also a perfect time for him to leave because everything is in place thanks to the help of the staff and volunteers, he said.

Medeiros said the Phinney Neighborhood Association hopes to have his replacement hired by the end of November.

The association started with 94 candidates and has narrowed the field down to the final four.

Like the association itself, Medeiros shows no signs of slowing down after retiring as executive director.

He will be working on his "village" project, which aims to keep seniors living longer in their homes, for the association.

Medeiros said he will most likely keep operating his other association pet project, the Phinney Neighborhood Center art gallery.

In addition, Medeiros will be branching out from the community and taking part in a city committee looking at the post-viaduct future of the waterfront.

With three post-retirement projects already lined up, Medeiros is a man befitting his workspace.