PRECA 09-07-1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1984 Budget The New Brighton Park and Recreation Department has sponsored a Senior Citizen Club since 1972. The club has grown to a membership of 16.0 which is almost capacity.-Club activities include bowling, crafts, trips, special programs and a newsletter. In addition the department coordinates some activities with Mounds View and St. Anthony School Districts. The departments contribution to Seniors is primarily through the provisions of a half-time program supervisor.. who spends about ~ of her time with seniors programming and z on summer recreation programming. .:The department also provides other less obvious benefits to Seniors .through reduced rates at Brightwood Hills, discounts on most recreation activities and park improvements such as hiking trails, benches and sun shelters. There are several-other agencies that provide services to area Seniors. The Mounds View and St. Anthony School Districts have programs which provides drop in facilities, congregate dining, meals on wheels and instructional classes. Ramsey County -also provides some health care services and area churches provide some additional opportunities for social activities. There are some additional needs that are not being addressed that could be met with a relatively modest budget increase. This proposal is to .hire a summer Playground Coordinator ($3,600.00) to free up the time half-time Supervisor to nearly spend all of her time on Senior programming. With an additional 500 hours per ...year she should be able to work more closely with other agencies, churches, and civic organizations to provide a more coordina- tional Seniors program for city residents. Coordination has been a concern of the department for a number of years but there simply is not enough staff time available to do the job.- There are at least three grouping of seniors that appear to need. additional services, nursing home residents, shut-ins, and recent retirees. An approach to involving some of these people is through the development of interest groups. or hobby clubs, this approach has been used in several other communities with excellant results. Examples are Senior Golf Leagues, horseshoes, garden. clubs, hiking, wood carving, dancing, choral groups etc. These groups would be. self directed and can meet in churches, community facilities and private homes. They also can provide services to the community by .taking their activities to shut-ins and nursing-homes. It is the intention of this program to use the city contribution as seed money to encourage churches, civic organizations. etc. to offer their expertise, funds or facilities to provide a more comprehensive program for Seniors.