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Department of Aging Director Ed Worley’s statement to Columbus County commissioners last week was surprising but blunt: “I need a new building,” he said.
With several mobile units already on the property that are jammed to the walls, the county’s Senior Center in Whiteville has no room to grow but plenty of people who want to enjoy the facilities.
Seniors often wait in line to use exercise equipment and the lunch table is full or nearly full every weekday. Clearly, it’s a popular service.
With seven senior centers, nearly 400 employees and a budget of $5 million, Columbus County’s Department of Aging is one of the largest of its type in the State of North Carolina. There’s no question the department is doing something right.
What we would question, however, is the wisdom of financing yet another massive capital project when the county is already deeply in debt and its savings are perilously low.
To his credit, Worley is trying to stand up for his constituents, and he mentioned that efforts to obtain grants for using two other buildings did not pay off.
Still, Columbus County needs to break the cycle of borrowing for everything it constructs, especially with a tax rate that some complain is already too high. If anyone “needs” a building, it is the public schools, who are operating out of 50 and 80-year-old structures not designed to last that long. Remember, we force our children to go to school; it’s not a nice-to-have option.
We would like to see the Aging Department get together with the City of Whiteville Parks and Recreation Department and the county Parks and Recreation Department to talk about mutual problems and solutions.
The city has a nice, new recreation center but it stands mostly vacant and mostly unused on weekends and while school is in session. The city has talked about buying a Bingo set and beefing up opportunities for older people. This could be just the chance.
Clearly, older ladies don’t want to walk in circles around the edges of the gym floor while four teams of loud, enthusiastic basketball players are driving the hoops. Combinations like that won’t serve anyone well.
But with so much down time at the rec center, there must be room for seniors to get in at least some of their “game” too. Perhaps some seniors would even volunteer to watch the door and take sign-ins so that the city staff – already stretched too thin – could run more programs.
We believe it’s time for some serious talks about cooperation.