More than 120 Jamestown-area senior citizens could soon be lacking an activity center - for want of about $17,000.
Mayor Sam Teresi's draft 2010 budget, a $31.8 million spending plan that was released earlier this month, left no room for the Jamestown Area Senior Citizens Center.
''We're stunned,'' said Shirley Vandenburg, who has been the center's activities director for 12 years. ''If we have no funding, we'll have to close the doors. If we can't get the mayor to change his mind and give us the funding, we're up a creek.''
Mrs. Vandenburg called the decision - which she read about in the Oct. 9 edition of The Post-Journal - ''a real punch.''
''The last couple of years, the city has told me that the center has to move because it's too expensive to stay where we are,'' she said. ''I expected a cut in our budget, but I honestly never thought they'd eliminate our funding entirely.''
The center is located at 270 Newton Ave. on the lower floor of the parsonage at St. John's Church, which is part of Holy Apostles Parish. It's open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day.
Members pay $10 per year in dues. In order to join the center, seniors must be active and over the age of 60. Mrs. Vandenburg said most members are 70 years of age or older and the majority - well over 80 percent - live in Jamestown. Some live in Lakewood, Celoron and Falconer, she said.
On Mondays, members enjoy Bingo games. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, members enjoy exercise, led by an employee of the YMCA, and line dancing. Members also meet once per month, with special speakers attending every other month. Members also take day trips once per month.
But that's not all - Mrs. Vandenburg also said the center plays host to the AARP, which provides senior driving classes on some Saturdays; RSVP Income Tax Service, which provides seniors with free income tax service between February and April; and flu shot clinics. Last week, one such clinic attracted 95 people, Mrs. Vandenburg said.
''We provide community service,'' she said. ''This isn't a day care or nursing facility. Our members are independent and active. The things we do are a big part of keeping them healthy. They come here to socialize and exercise - things they may not get if they stay at home alone. They'd lose that if this center has to close. You've got to keep seniors healthy or they're going to be in a nursing home.''
According to the budget request Mrs. Vandenburg submitted in September, the center has an income of $1,905 - money it gets through membership dues, a coffee fund, its travel club, donations and mailings. It spends $6,000 each year to rent the hall from St. John's Church, $2,500 per year in liability insurance, $1,550 for office supplies and it's newsletter, $300 for programs and $5,972 for Mrs. Vandenburg's salary and benefits - a total operating budget of just over $16,000.
The city pays rent for the hall, insurance, office supplies and also supplies $5,000 from contingency to cover the center's operating deficit.
According to Joe Bellitto, city comptroller, Mrs. Vandenburg asked for $14,000 from the city. The executive budget includes a $17,000 allocation because her request was received late and Bellitto had already plugged in 2009 numbers as placeholders.
Regardless, Mrs. Vandenburg says the center will not be able to operate without money from the city.
''We have no other funding source,'' she said. ''I don't know how to go about fixing this. I'm not a good beggar.''
Part of the problem, she said, is that the rent for the space is so high. She said church officials have refused to lower the rent, even though the space is no longer in use by the church. Church officials could not be reached for comment.
The search for another space has proven difficult, she said. Other facilities might be cheaper to rent, but they may not have enough space or adequate parking.
''I've asked every church in town, and while some of them have space, they don't have adequate parking,'' she said. ''And some places I've looked at have plenty of space for the center, but no office space. We have a pretty tall order to fill when it comes to a new space. Where in Jamestown will you find a space big enough to accommodate more than 60 people, with adequate parking that doesn't require senior citizens to feed a meter, where they can have time before and after events to socialize at their leisure and that will allow organizations like the AARP and the income tax preparers to come in? It's tough.''
The City Council begins budget deliberations on Monday night. It is scheduled to discuss the Senior Center's budget during a work session on Nov. 9. Mrs. Vandenburg said she hopes the council will be able to help.
''I know things are tough,'' she said. ''But eventually, everybody will be a senior citizen. Other organizations get hundreds of thousands of dollars. I hope the City Council can find a few thousand for us.''