Park Ridge’s Senior Center (PRSC) - Senior Senate Leaders, (not to be confused with PRPD’s recently announced hand-picked tell-us-what-we-want-to-hear advisory committee), took their first official step toward finding a new home by sending to their constituents, a three page letter-q&a-questionnaire.
Letter-Q&A-Questionnaire
Park Ridge Park District’s recent Board decisions to take by force from seniors, the $330,000 disputed Kemnitz Trust, and their April 19th disenfranchisement of PRSC’s Senior Senate, have removed all doubts for Senior Center members who will be in charge of the Senior Center.
Now, before PRPD groupies go off the deep end about the “Senior Center” being Park Ridge Park District property, let me save them the trouble.
Yes – for the umpteenth time, we all acknowledge PRPD’s ownership of a building called the “Park Ridge Senior Center”.
Seniors, and by the way, professionals operating Senior Centers, when they talk about senior centers, are talking about the people who participate in Senior Center activities, no matter the name of the building.
So, one last time for you holdouts: a Senior Center is people. And these people; these taxpayers, have had it!
As always, it’s just my opinion.
18 comments:
We should all join the Kalo Society and put our efforts and volunteerism there.
They have that nice building on Northwest Highway as well
Who is we again?
May 23 7:24 p.m.
Anon,
Very soon it will be well known who "we? is.
ooohhh, scary!
5/24 8:41 Anon,
NOT INTENDED TO FRIGHTEN, JUST TO INFORM.
When will the results of the survey be tallied?
Anon 5/25 3:41 a.m.? (pretty early)
Not even due for a few more days, but pleasing return rate to date.
Good luck with taking over Kalo's building in perpetuity or for 30 years, whichever comes first. It will be most interesting to see how things go when an endless stream of public dollars are not available and you have to actually fundraise successfully in a conventional way. Especially if, as has been pointed out, bequests cannot be used for operating expenses, only capital improvements. Which the Senior Services crew will no doubt insist be translated into a permanent control of the building for their own use as they tried to do with the Park District building. How many young and middle-aged people will be interested in donating to Kalo then?
Anon 5/25 11:56
I must be an awful reader to miss that the Kalo Foundation is a target site for a Senior Center. I must have read it wrong, but do actually believe that Anon was referring to volunteering at the Kalo location. That is how misstatements become rumors. Zip your lips. If you are a Senior, am sorry you misunderstood what I believe that individual was ACTUALLY suggesting.
Moreover ,the educated would know that that site does not meet a minimum requirement essential in establishing a new center of operations...parking very limited. Moreover, senior leadership would not consider upending or challenging any not -for-profit organization in Park Ridge that is seeking to please a community or recognize historical excellence. I have only ever observed the Park District participating in such an activity in all the years I have lived in this community.
Anon 11:56 am
I don't know what you are talking about with the Kalo foundation-- does anyone else?
As for your comments about fundraising, someone told me that the programs and other things at the senior center all broke even or even made a little money. Also, the dues that members pay probably cover what might amount to rent and utilities at another building. So, as I understand it, the "loss" that was occurring at the center all was the result of salaries of park district staff who worked at the building. So, losses were all the result of park district expenses.
It sounds to me like the seniors could move, use dues to pay rental costs, break even on their events and activities and use bequest money to pay some salary, fix up their new place, and use volunteers for the rest of the "work" that would need to be done. Best thing about it all: the seniors would be treated with respect and could have a real vote about the goings on.
Look at that! sounds like a plan!
Caution: The Senior Senate leadership is actually asking their constituents for advise on what direction to take. AMAZING that someone would care about seeking input of "their customers".
Again, good luck with that.
What are you, 17? Yeah, you can be on your own, in your own place! Cool! No major financial obligations that a babysitting job won't cover, right?
Sheesh.
Anon: May 25, 2012 6:14 PM
There you go again being obnoxious, condescending and silly. Far better: to have said nothing, than to have displayed to all; your rapidly shoaling intellect.
Anon, May 24, 2:56
Now we have someone who has actually figured out an excellent plan that makes sense and from what I hear, the seniors are voting big time to get out from under the control of the Park District. Isn't that something. An organization that the Park District says doesn't exist (they say the Senior Center is part of the Park District) actually has a voice and they are using it. Seniors are staying away from the Center in droves. Some are going to other centers, some aren't going to renew their memberships and the atmosphere of a place that used to be vital and welcoming is sooo sad. Gone are the smiling faces and enthusiatic seniors who would roll up their sleeves and volunteer for almost anything. The Jenny Riddle program, which brought in about 140 people at a 20th Century program, brought in 14 seniors. The Mens Follies had to be cancelled, as they had only 7 volunteers. Check out the cars in the parking lot. It used to be packed. Now there's only a few cars. But according to the Park District everything is fine and dandy and attendance at everything is up, up. I wonder who is making those calculations? If it's just a few seniors who are dissatisfied, as stated on the front page of the Newsletter, how do you explain all of this and why are they overwhelmingly voting to get out from under the control of the Park Board?
I, too, had heard the Board "bought" the information from staff that participation at the Park District's Senior Center surpassed previous attendance.
I am further learning that what I had been "fed" from the administration on requests I had made as truths are documentable now as misstatements.
So the Park Board has admitted defeat and has given up their rediculous law suit to steal the Betty Kenmitz bequest. They didn't care what Betty wanted. They just wanted their hands on her money. The Park Board's contention that the Senior Center was a non-existent organization and just a part of the Park District just didn't hold water. Especially when seniors read the letter from the Senior Senate telling them all of the things that the Park District had been doing over the past year and started voting in favor of leaving the Park District building. It would be almost impossible to tell the judge that the Senior Center was part of the Park District, when they were possibly moving out of the 100 S. Western building now wouldn't it? Whoever thought of that stupid argument just cost the taxpayers a boat load of money in legal fees. Rest well Betty Kenmitz. Your bequest is going to the Senior Center that you loved.
No; read your Bible. You have heard of that, right? When two women were fighting over a baby, King Solomon said, "I'll cut it in half and give you each half of the baby." At which time the real mother cried out, "No! Don't hurt the baby! Give it to her."
And King Solomon, known for his wisdom, said, "Give the child to the woman who offered it intact. She is the real mother."
To keep the SSI from squandering any more of Betty's money on legal battles is why the Board relented. Seems the Park Board is the only group here who really respect the spirit of Betty's contribution. Now the detractors have the money.
The Park District's Senior Center will go on, and I'm sure the people who brought the suit (not the Park District, but facts matter not at all to you) will do the right thing with what's left of the monies they have spent fighting the Park District.
You are right: A Senior Center IS people. We shall see what that means when the aggrieved have escaped the evil clutches of all-expenses-paid Park Districtville.
June 4 2:11 p.m. Aon
I read on this very blog that Seniors paid the Park District for building expenses and some salaries and were billed by the Park District. Is that not true? I read it in the letter on the blog also. Who is not telling the truth when you say the
'evil clutches of all-expenses paid Park Districtville."
Where does the Districtville get its money?
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