Springdale considers absorbing Senior Center

Sue Lambert and Jim Gideon (second from left) dance Thursday along with William and Donna Green (second from right) and others during a dance and 100th birthday party for Rozella Scott at the Springdale Senior Center. The City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to take on center as a city department.
Sue Lambert and Jim Gideon (second from left) dance Thursday along with William and Donna Green (second from right) and others during a dance and 100th birthday party for Rozella Scott at the Springdale Senior Center. The City Council will vote Tuesday on whether to take on center as a city department.

SPRINGDALE -- When Rozella Scott turned 100 years old Thursday, she was surrounded by more than 100 friends who have become her family over the past 17 years.

Scott started coming to the Springdale Senior Center at 203 Park St. after her husband Carl died.

Springdale Senior Center

The Senior Center, 203 Park St., is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A hot dog and chips dinner is provided at 5 p.m. Thursday while visitors play Bingo.

Source: Staff report

Washington County centers

The Area Agency on Aging provides services to several Washington County senior centers: Springdale, Fayetteville, Elkins, Farmington and Prairie Grove and part-time centers in West Fork and Greenland.

Source: Staff report

Meeting

What: Springdale City Council

When: 6 p.m. Tuesday

Where: City Administration Building, 201 Spring St.

"I was at home, and I got lonesome. I didn't know what to do with myself," Scott said.

Scott started volunteering at the Senior Center, placing utensils on lunch trays and later working at the greeting desk.

"I think it's a wonderful place for elderly people. It's just wonderful to come down here and all of us get together. We play cards, bingo, dominoes and dance," Scott said.

The Senior Center, which serves residents age 60 and older, is run by the Area Agency on Aging, but the city wants to make it part of the Parks and Recreation Department. The City Council will consider the matter Tuesday.

Covering the cost

Council members and Mayor Doug Sprouse discussed taking over management of the center at a committee meeting April 3 at the Senior Center.

Sprouse said Wednesday if the council votes to take over the center, it will no longer receive state and federal revenue, which the agency estimates is $205,000. The city will have to cover all costs.

"By making this move, we are committing to provide the same level of services that our seniors are used to, and I'm also confident we'll have the ability to meet any future growth needs," Sprouse said.

Sprouse said Lori Proud, the Senior Center's director, asked him about six months ago if it was possible for the city to take over the center.

"I thought it was an interesting idea that we would want to pursue to see if it was feasible," Sprouse said. "In weighing all the pros and cons, it's best for the seniors served by the center if the city has more control."

Human Concern

The Older Americans Act designates the Area Agency on Aging as the nonprofit organization in charge of monitoring senior programs in designated regions in the state, said Jerry Mitchell, executive director of the Harrison-based agency.

Mitchell said his office provides direct services to senior centers in Baxter, Boone, Marion, Newton, Searcy and Washington counties. The agency can contract service to a subcontractor after issuing a request for proposals to see what nonprofit organizations are interested in running senior centers, he said.

Brad Bailey, the agency's chief operations officer, issued a newspaper notice Jan. 15. Mitchell said the Office of Human Concern in Rogers was the only interested bidder for Washington County. Bids were due March 24.

Human Concern is a subcontractor providing services to five centers in Benton County and one each in Carroll and Madison counties through the agency, according to Susan Moore, Human Concern's executive director.

Moore said the organization provided services to senior centers in those three counties for more than 40 years.

Sprouse said the center may be able to raise more money if the city runs it rather than a subcontractor.

"When people donate to the senior center they have the assurance that the money will stay with Springdale," Sprouse said.

But Moore said Human Concern doesn't spread around money intended for a specific senior center.

"I cannot take funds raised at a Bentonville senior center and move it over to a Lowell senior center. That is likely a misconception passed to (Springdale) by the Area Agency on Aging," Moore said, adding the agency is against them becoming a service provider in Washington County.

Mitchell said because the agency is in the request for proposals process, he cannot comment on Moore's remarks.

The agency provides direct service to all seven Washington County senior centers, Mitchell said.

Even if the Springdale council votes to take over the Senior Center, Human Concern's proposal still applies to the remaining centers, Mitchell said. The agency will announce whether or not it accepts Human Concern's proposal April 17.

Moore said Human Concern will continue serving seniors and the community at large no matter the outcome.

"We would love to operate in Washington County because it's a great fit, but our doors will not close whether we operate in Washington County or not," she said. "We are a community action agency, so we have many programs that we operate and senior services is just one of them."

Meeting needs

The Area Agency on Aging will evaluate the situation if Springdale takes over the center and can provide direct service if it feels needs aren't being sufficiently met.

"Even if they are meeting the needs of the citizens, we're not prohibited from duplicating what they're doing," Mitchell said. "Our goal is to make sure seniors in Springdale are getting the services they need as it relates to aggregate meals, home-delivered meals, transportation, and health and wellness activity. We would evaluate and see what needs to be done and try to be aware of what the needs are and try to meet their needs."

The Senior Center's budget is $465,455 for this fiscal year, Mitchell said.

In addition to receiving about $200,500 in state and federal money, the center raises $185,000 in contributions through fundraisers and client contributions. The center also receives about $80,000 from Medicaid for home-delivered meals for people older than 65 on a Medicaid waiver program. Clients aren't required to pay for services, but some make contributions anyway, Mitchell said.

"Some people say it insults their dignity if they can't make a contribution," Mitchell said.

The money pays for events and operations, including lunches and transportation. Bailey estimates the center will serve 21,300 meals at the center and deliver about 22,000 meals to seniors' homes during this fiscal year, Mitchell said. The transportation service is expected to provide about 5,200 rides.

About 75 to 100 people show up for lunch on any given day at the Senior Center with a peak lunch attendance of 160 visitors. The building has a 200-person capacity, Proud said.

The center has a minivan and a 14-passenger bus.

"If they need transportation, they just call here, and we pick them up and bring them here or take them to the grocery store or doctor's appointments, really anywhere in Springdale and the surrounding area," Proud said.

The center hosts all sorts of social activities from parties to dances to Wii Sports competitions.

"We just try to come up with things that are engaging and active," Proud said. "Our goal is to keep them in their own home (instead of a nursing home) as long as possible, and by keeping them active we achieve that. Seniors need social activities like any age does."

Census figures show Springdale had a population of 75,088 residents in 2015. Wyman Morgan, the city's administrative and financial services director, calculated the Census Bureau's breakdown of age groups living in Springdale and determined 12 percent of the city's population is 60 or older.

Betty Mullen, 88; Jean Griesing, 90; and Pat Hendrix, 75, all of Springdale, frequently visit the center and regularly volunteer. All three said the center is an important part of their lives and they are happy it could become a part of the city.

"Our Senior Center does a lot," Hendrix said. "People who are just sitting at home need to get out and see what the Senior Center has to offer them because it really breaks up your day. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have the Senior Center."

Raising money

Fundraising is crucial to keeping the doors open, Proud said.

"Fundraising is probably our biggest challenge," she said. "We need corporate donations and individual donations. Even if a senior does not donate, they are going to get the same service as someone who donates. That's what I love about our program, that any senior who needs our service gets our service."

The Senior Center has been at 203 Park St. since 1998. Before that seniors met at The Jones Center and the Springdale Housing Authority's Building 5 on Applegate Drive, Proud said.

The agency rents the building from the city for $1 a year, Mitchell said.

The Parks and Recreation Department would run the center because it already maintains the building and grounds, Sprouse said.

"It makes more sense to do it under Parks and Rec than to create a stand-alone department. It's mostly gong to be for budgeting purposes," Sprouse said. "We'll create a line item under Parks and Rec, like the Aquatic Center is under Parks and Rec. That's not a big deal to do as far as budgeting."

Parks and Recreation received $3.13 million for 2017, according to the city's 2017 budget.

Rogers and Little Rock run their senior centers, Mitchell said.

Jim White, director of Rogers Parks and Recreation, said the Adult Wellness Center at 2001 W. Persimmon St. hasn't been part of Parks and Recreation for several years and is its own department within the city.

NW News on 04/10/2017

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