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February 10, 2006
Reeling senior center on the rebound
By PHILLIP GOMEZ
"The center is running a whole lot smoother," said newly elected board of trustees member Walt Kuver. "It's a happier place. The staff is happy. The seniors are happy. Lunches were up 15 percent in January from the average in the fourth quarter." The center is operating largely by utilizing volunteers rather than paid staff, as before, Kuver said. At the present level of service, the center's budget is $5,300 per month on average, compared to $10,000 per month before the financial crisis occurred. Short-term debts of $62,000 and longer-term debts of approximately $272,000 were revealed in December. The county commissioners appropriated $20,000 for immediate relief, plus another $20,000 for an audit to right the books. Of the $20,000 appropriated for accounts payable, only $4,000 is left, Kuver said. "It would be nice to continue that $10,000 per month subsidy," he said. A Bank of America loan is due in August, and debt still is owed to Gene Scheppmann, the owner of the mobile home park where the senior center is located. "I still firmly believe that the best solution is the sale and lease-back arrangement with Mr. Scheppmann," Kuver said. The $300,000 transportation grant for three buses, obtained last year through the efforts of Sen. Harry Reid, is currently on hold, Kuver said. He added that he believed the bus would not be delivered now, because, he said, factual data was not presented in the grant application. He did not elaborate. Kuver suggested more than once "the need to steer the $300,000 toward the basic needs of the center," adding that it would be difficult to pursue in an election year. "We haven't attacked the transportation thing yet," he said. "I think we can get some expense money from that." The commissioners seemed nonplussed about how to deal with the non-profit Senior Center - a local, Pahrump problem, yet not one the town of Pahrump has any legal responsibility for. "Are you still getting a lot of help from the community?" asked Commissioner Patricia Cox, who represents Pahrump seniors in her district. Volunteers are taking up the slack, said Kuver, in the kitchen and in packing the meals-on-wheels for delivery. About 100 meals a week are sent out, he said. "We're still eating the turkeys we got at Christmas," Kuver said. He also said donations of upgraded computers and software had been made to the center for administrative use in tracking the meals-on-wheels program. Kuver also revealed another financial problem that had come up: an unpaid vendor invoice for $65,000 for a bus. The Pahrump Town Board said it would pay the matching grant amount, but then reneged when the senior center troubles started, according to Kuver. The town board will revisit the issue when it meets Tuesday. The bus was now ready to be delivered, based on the commitment of the town, he said. The bus had been ordered based on that commitment. The federal grant only paid $17,000 on the $82,000 bus, he said. That leaves a balance of $65,000, which the county is now being asked to pay, according to Nye County Comptroller Marie Owens. "Why should the county be involved in any of this?" said Cox. "I think that is something the town needs to account for, and not us." The U.S. Agriculture Department is not releasing the $17,000 to pay for the bus, either, said Owens. "Let's be clear," said Kuver, "The bus is not a live-or-die situation for us." "Why can't you use that $300,000 for expenses?" said Commissioner Joni Eastley. Commission Chairwoman Candice Trummell, who also has Pahrump as her district, said she doubted that the appropriated funds could legally be utilized for other than the stated purposes. The discussion ended where it began, with a continuation to the next meeting in Pahrump. Commissioner Cox suggested an agenda item for appropriation of a six-month subsidy of the senior center at $10,000 per month. "We'll take it down from there," said Trummell in response to Commissioner Eastley's comment that the subsidy should only be for one month more. |
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