by Geoff Fox
Mayor Roland Lanehart, Jr. reminded officials and those in attendance the senior center is now open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week. Faith later said it is open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
He said several people from local churches have donated their time to re-open the senior center those days. Lanehart added the town has been assisting, as they’ve taken over the site instead of the county.
Lanehart said a new, smart television has been purchased and has been installed.
“We’re starting to get more of a turn out,” he said, adding people weren’t too pleased with how the county was running the site.
Just to give people an idea of how things were run, Lanehart said those who were coming to the senior center weren’t allowed to bring their own cups for coffee.
“If they weren’t real steady holding a coffee cup without a handle, and they brought their own coffee cup, they weren’t allowed to have a cup of coffee,” he said.
The mayor said some of the people he’s talked to are “tickled to death” the way things have been taken care of.
Faith added the television has been installed and set up.
While the town has parted ways with the county’s Commission on Aging for the senior center, they’ve agreed to partner with the department as they are willing to provide services to the center, but the town would still be in control of the building and room.
Faith said he didn’t realize the Commission on Aging was paying the gas bill for that end of the building, which he didn’t think they realized either.
They told Faith they’d need to switch the name on the gas bill to the town and when Faith looked at a copy of the bill, it was Town Hall’s address and the county was paying the bill.
He said the bill was substantial in the winter because it was heating more than just the senior center.
The Commission of Aging had a few items in the center that was purchased with grant money and needed to retrieve those items, Faith said.
“We still have a good relationship with them. They’re willing to help us in any way we need,” Faith said.
Faith added the senior center is happy and they have free range to do what they want to do and could possibly hold fundraisers in the future.
Faith said any senior who is interested in coming to the senior center is welcome to come and there is no charge or obligation.
He said they could come down to the center and hang out and participate in the activities going on, have coffee and fellowship, play games, and “whatever they want to do” like crafts.
For a number of years, Faith said, the Commission on Aging had been providing meals at the center. However, those who had been using the center weren’t satisfied with the meals and quality of the meals.
There was also a lot of red tape in providing meals. Seniors had to eat the meals there and couldn’t take it home to eat or take any leftovers with them, leaving unfinished meals to be thrown away.
Faith said the seniors who were using the center weren’t there just for the meals, but for the fellowship and to socialize.
“We kind of changed our relationship with the Commission on Aging a little bit,” Faith said. “They still support us 100%, whatever we’re doing here.”
With that change and partnership, Faith said, the town has more control over the facility, which they should as it belongs to the town.
The center is always looking for more people to attend and when the attendance is high enough, Faith said more activities could be planned.
He also added you don’t have to be a resident of Hancock to attend the senior center.
