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Morrice senior center to get $40K from SCOA
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Thursday, July 24, 2008 11:01 AM EDT
OWOSSO - The Shiawassee County Council on Aging will use $40,000 from a reserve fund over two years to help pay for operations at the Morrice Senior Center.
SCOA approved giving the center $20,000 per year starting in 2009, said Lucille Lowrie, a member of SCOA's board of directors and Morrice resident.
“I think it was a very good idea because we've got to keep the Morrice Senior Center open,” she said. “A lot of people, that's all they do is go to that senior center. It's the nicest senior center we have.”
The board approved the measure by a 10-5 vote at its July 16 meeting, SCOA Executive Director Bob Bluedorn said.
“Originally they were asking for millage money. We use all of our millage money,” Bluedorn said. “The money that they are receiving is money that we've gotten from memorials, from wills...we've put it into a reserve fund and we've put it aside for emergency reserve. As far as the millage goes, I always thought it was better used for direct services and I always thought it was our goal to keep people in their homes for as long as possible.”
Residents in Shiawassee County support SCOA and all its programs through a one-sixth mill levy.
SCOA Board member Jo Teich - who voted against giving money to the Morrice Senior Center - refused to comment about why she voted no.
“I really wish that you would call someone else,” Teich said. “I don't want to voice my opinion one way or another... I am simply a board person...”
Shiawassee County Commissioner Jack Johnson sits on the SCOA board and said the Morrice Senior Center is a bigger facility than SCOA centers in Durand and Owosso combined.
Johnson said it was good that different sides of the issue could come together with a solution.
He said there are still questions concerning having three senior centers in the county that are so close together.
“Does it make sense to concentrate the centers within 12 miles of each other,” Johnson questioned. “There are just a lot of questions.”
