Comments on: Senior Center Could Be Cut as Population Ages

By: Barbara Annis

Barbara Annis — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:14:19 +0000

I second Vivienne’s comments. Ann Arbor is known for quality of life. Let’s not change that concept. The arguments against supporting a senior center are similar to those against increasing school budgets, but it is exactly those quality of life issues that attract people, including tax payers.

By: Stewart Nelson

Stewart Nelson — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:05:05 +0000

2 cent

The Farmer’s Market is break-even.

Stew

By: Leah Gunn

Leah Gunn — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:33:08 +0000

Neighborhoods aside, Dave, I do not want my property taxes subsidizing those who can afford to pay. I read Bob Snyder’s comments from the Park meeting, and he’s right. So, if they want to keep the Center, they ought to come up with a membership plan. Subsidizing Seniors is taking programs away from those in desperate need. That is why I suggested a sliding scale.

By: Dave Askins

Dave Askins — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:28:44 +0000

Re: [3]

Leah, I think at least some of the seniors who’ve been advocating to keep the center open would agree with you. From our report on the Park Advisory Commission meeting:

“Bob Snyder spoke about how the center provides a focal point for his life. As a widower and retiree, he said what makes his life interesting is going to the senior center two or three days a week for lunch, and spending an hour every afternoon reading the Ann Arbor News. ‘I look ahead and they’re both gone – the future looks pretty bleak.’ He said the seniors he knows aren’t poor, and that he knows they’d support the center financially. Meals there, he said, are ridiculously cheap and obviously subsidized – ‘We joke about it!’ – and he said many would be willing to pay more. The meals are well-balanced and nutritious, unlike the ones he eats by himself at home in front of the TV, which he described as ‘typical teenager food.’ Better than the meals, he said, is the socializing he does at the center. Snyder said he occasionally goes to the senior center in Pittsfield Township, which charges dues. He wouldn’t hesitate to pay dues for the Ann Arbor center, he said. ‘I think a lot of other people would too.’”

I’d also point out that while the location of the center is in Burns Park, it serves people from a broader geographic range than that. The two people I spoke with when I visited there soon after the first budget proposal was made came from well outside the Burns Park neighborhood.

By: Leah Gunn

Leah Gunn — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:18:31 +0000

Seniors are among the wealthiest age groups in this country. If they are so anxious to maintain a Senior Center, may I suggest that they pay for a membership on a scale related to income and assets. I have little sympathy for someone who owns a house in Burns Park using my tax money to pay for their recreation. Also, the woman who moved here from Illnois must take into account that we have an enormous tax exempt insitution in our city – it’s called the University of Michigan. It is one of the things that makes this city so great, and I don’t mind paying taxes to support its location here.

By: My two cents

My two cents — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:45:22 +0000

We don’t have to have a revenue generating model, but how about a break-even model for the Farmer’s market.

We allow vendors to come in and sell their goods for a profit; the stall fees should cover the operation costs of the market. My impression (which could be incorrect) is that the fees do not cover the costs.

What is wrong with increasing stall fees as operating costs for the market increases?

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:10:41 +0000

We are seeing the consequences of government “run like a business”. Our city has been moving toward a cost center and revenue generation model that ignores what should be the real focus: how best to provide services for the citizens (customers). Instead, it appears that the focus is the most profit that can be derived from any facility. The idea of putting parking meters into residential neighborhoods and raising vendor fees for the Farmers’ Market are two good examples of the results of this kind of thinking. We should be promoting community values instead of trying to extract the most yield possible from any amenity or service.