Lake County Publishing Board
Two weeks ago, the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center s Board of Directors approached the county s Board of Supervisors to request a $150,000 loan to help the center consolidate some of its debts and stabilize its financial situation.
The supervisors balked at the request to make a loan, and offered to try to help the center out by finding them other funding sources.
While we can understand the concern supervisors expressed about not being a lending institution, we do think they should consider giving financial help to the center. We also agree it should not be in loan form. Rather, we submit that the county should make a grant, or a gift, to help the center get solvent.
The 2000 Census showed that Lake County has a population of people age 65 and over that accounts for 20 percent of all the county s residents. That s nearly double the state average for that population category.
So, in Lake County, services for seniors are a necessity, not a luxury.
The Lucerne Senior Center serves a variety of functions for the aging community; it s a place where seniors can get counseling, advice, meals and friendship.
Last month, the center served 2,200 meals, both through its Meals on Wheels program and the meals it serves once a day at the center.
Marilyn Johnson, named this year s Stars of Lake County Senior Award winner, in part, for her efforts at the senior centers in Lucerne and Lakeport, said the Lucerne center serves as many as 2,700 meals a month, depending on the time of year.
In particular, the Meals on Wheels program makes all the difference to many seniors who can t get out.
For many elders, who have limited funds and even more limited contacts with others, the meals nourish their bodies and souls, and may constitute the only contact they have with the outside world.
If the Lucerne center weren t there to help, said Johnson, other centers around the county many of them facing their own challenges would be forced to pick up the slack.
Several years ago, this same Board of Supervisors stepped up to help the Kelseyville Senior Center become a reality by giving a $200,000 grant for the purchase of the town s old post office.
We re glad they made that commitment, and now we ask them to consider making a commitment to help the Northshore s seniors.
But there will be more to this task than money.
Besides a grant to help the Lucerne center become solvent, we ask the board to pay for an audit of the center s books. For nearly a year the new directors have scrambled to put the finances right; an audit as expensive as it may be will help find the problems, identify when they started and create a clean financial record going forward.
Once a financial baseline is established, the board has the right to ask for annual reports on the center s finances.
This is not a matter of throwing money at a problem, but of caring for our aged population and their unique needs. It is, quite simply, an investment in a very important segment of our community.
As well, it s a show of support for the center s capable new leadership, which has fought to keep the center open and functioning.
Yes, the county is limited financially in many ways. This is no frivolous request. It s a priority item. This is a rare example of the county having an opportunity to step in and make all the difference.
In a time when the county is spending hundreds of thousands to improve its image and attract more tourists, a grant of as much as $50,000 seems small if it can do so much good for so many.
Our first responsibilities begin right here at home, and our seniors are a priority. Those who helped build this county and this country have a right to expect that they will be cared for when they need it most.
The Lake County Publishing Board includes Publisher Gregg McConnell, Editor Elizabeth Larson, News Editor David Stoneberg and Sports Editor Brian Sumpter.
