Monday Meeting to Discuss Possible Senior Center Expansion

Garden City seniors will once again meet with Garden City village trustee John Watras (West) and Kevin Ocker, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, Monday afternoon to further discuss the financial aspects of possibly expanding the Golf Club Lane senior center.

"Historically, seniors have been neglected when it came to funds from the village budget. Promises were made to give greater financial support,"George Salem, co-president of the Garden City Retired Men’s Club, told Patch Thursday.

Seniors hope to find out what they'll actually receive from the "just-completed village budget reviews and projections for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2012," Salem added.

Plans have been on file for an extension at Golf Club Lane for years, Ocker, who submits an estimate for this project on a yearly basis only to be excluded due to budgetary concerns, said. He quoted a rough estimate for this extension at about $600,000.

After numerous budget sessions and reviews, all three members of the Finance Committee - trustees Andrew Cavanaugh (chair), Nick Episcopia and Watras - unanimously recommended the village board adopt the budget.

In September 2010 Watras and Ocker addressed seniors at the St. Paul's Senior Center to discuss how the village could improve programs and quality of life for the village's largest growing population. An expansion of the Golf Club Lane center was addressed at this meeting.

In October 2011, seniors packed the Golf Club Lane senior center to again meet with Watras and Ocker to discuss what they perceive as a deficit in senior offerings.

"As you may recall, last October Garden City seniors began a major lobbying campaign to get financial support for programs and facilities," Salem said. "Importantly we have requested a major expansion of the Golf Club Lane center to allow for more activities for all interested Garden City seniors."

The Rockville Centre Recreation Center has been discussed as a model where more expansive options are offered. Seniors, which represent more than 20 percent of Garden City's population, have said Garden City's senior offerings pale in comparision.

Issues include the senior center on Golf Club Lane, which some seniors say is too small to accommodate the growing population. Moreover, they said restrooms are old and not wheelchair accessible and the kitchen is inefficient.

Ocker advised seniors that a new not-for-profit organization, , chose improving the kitchen at the Golf Club Lane center as its first project. However, according to resident Betsy Andromidas, "we thought we would be able to fund part of it now but we've had to push our Party for the Parks off until Oct. 20 so we can't help them till the fall."

The meeting begins at 1 p.m. at 6 Golf Club Lane.