Syracuse Senior Citizens Want Own Facility

SYRACUSE -ÊHow many centers does Syracuse need? How many can Syracuse afford?

If every organization that wants a center builds a separate one, Syracuse Park Board President Bill Wight said, there would be four: one for scouts, one for the general community, one for senior citizens and one for Lakeland Youth Center, if they don't join the community center.

He said they would each have to raise funds through grants and solicitations of the community. But he's been hearing people don't want to support four different centers, he said.

"The real question is, how are we going to operate four different centers?" Wight said.

Syracuse councilman Paul Stoelting said he has heard the same concerns.

Wight's comments came at the end of a preliminary discussion of a senior citizen center proposed to the Syracuse town council by resident Priscilla Rhody and by Josh Lantz, of Bonar & Associates. More than 60 Syracuse senior citizens packed the town hall to hear the discussion.

Lantz asked the council to sign a letter of intent for an Indiana Department of Commerce grant for a senior center. However, the council could not approve the letter of intent. Only three of the five councilmen were present at the meeting, and Stoelting abstained because he recently resigned from the board of the Samaritans on Standby and believed it presented a conflict of interest. Any action requires three of the five board members to approve.

Samaritans on Standby is one of three local organizations that would make up the senior citizen center, the other two being Real Services and Turkey Creek Senior Citizens Club.

Lantz said, "Syracuse is no different from any other town or city in America with a lot of its citizens growing older, and that will continue." He said senior citizens are considered to be low- or moderate income and foundations and governments look favorably on the age group when providing grants.

He said he estimates the senior citizen center to cost approximately $1 million, and the Indiana Department of Commerce could provide approximately half of the cost. The council would need to sign the letter of intent to the Indiana Department of Commerce because only local government can apply for the grants. The council would be the recipient of the grant, and one of the three organizations would be the sub-recipient. If they applied for the grant in October, they would find out if the project is viable by November.

Although Lantz said he doesn't see a conflict between the community center project and the senior citizen project, the senior citizens at the meeting made their opposition to the community center known and said they want their own center. Many of the senior citizens said they didn't want to be located near the youth center because the children would disturb their peace and quiet.

The park board members asked the senior citizens to at least look at the design of the community center before they made a judgment, but their comments fell on deaf ears.

Syracuse senior citizen Mary Green said, "I would love to see a community center be built, but I don't want to see my taxes raised." She said the senior citizen center would be self-sufficient and wouldn't need tax money.

Jenny Lambright, park board member, said there will be no tax increase with the community center.

Councilwoman Barbara Carwile said both the community center and senior citizen center would have to be self-sufficient because they would get no tax money. She also said she had experience with a senior citizen center on one end of a building and another organization on the other end and she said it doesn't work. She said senior citizens need their own facility.

Lambright said she wanted to have an executive session between Rhody and the park board to work "something" out, but Rhody has refused to meet with the park board. Lambright said she has 110 signatures of senior citizens 55 and over who are in support of the community center.

Kate Conell, a senior citizen, said, "I'm definitely in favor of a senior citizen building but I don't want to see it taken over by another group."

Miriam Ridings said, "I'm for a senior citizen center just for seniors." She said they need a place for peace and quiet and where they can play cards.

Rhody said, "I think the most important thing I can stress is safety for our people." She said they can't blame kids for being kids, but senior citizens aren't safe around them.

Park board member Nancy Duehmig challenged each person present to at least look at the proposed drawing. "If you disagree, I think that's healthy, but at least look," she said.

Delores Gayes, senior citizen, said, "I think there's enough people in Syracuse and the surrounding area to have both buildings."

Becky Dundee, from the Warsaw Real Services, said senior citizens need their own facility.

Scott Abbs asked, "Can you please describe what a senior citizen is? It seems we have two different groups." His comment came after several senior citizens began comparing ages and exclaiming, "I'm older than you."

Lanz said that according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a "senior citizen" begins at either 62 or 65.