 |
 |
Commissioner Jeff Rader
Manuel J. Maloof Center
1300 Commerce Drive
5th Floor
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 371-2863
jrader@co.dekalb.ga.us
|
|
|
 |
| Commissioner Rader Update |
| Jun 26, 2008 |
Boosting Quality of Life for Seniors
Demographers agree that senior citizens are a rapidly growing segment of the population in the United States and the same goes for DeKalb County. Recognizing their previous and future contributions, it makes good sense to provide our seniors with the means to remain engaged in our communities where they can continue to enrich our society and economy. In District 2, we have the opportunity to pursue this goal through the development of a new Senior Citizen Center, but we need to hear from constituents to make it happen. Please read on to see how you can help.
According to the Atlanta Region Area Plan on Aging, DeKalb has the second-largest population of seniors (60 years and older) within the 10-county metro Atlanta area. The U.S. census, last conducted in 2000, states that District 2 has the highest percentage of seniors (65 years and older) in DeKalb County. In fact, the Toco Hills neighborhood, within District Two, is recognized as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC). According to the U.S. Census, almost 25 percent of the Toco Hills residents are 50 years of age or older.
These statistics and the rapidly growing seniors demographic point up the imperative to think strategically about where and how we provide for the changing service needs of older Americans. The county needs to develop a comprehensive approach to providing the appropriate facilities and services for this demographic.
We can create a self-sustaining neighborhood where its citizens enjoy all stages of life in one community. Rather than having move to another county or state, seniors can age in place. In other words, they can continue to live in their familiar neighborhoods for as long as they like, moving easily from their lifelong home into nearby housing appropriate to their changing needs. An added benefit to the community of this lifecycle approach is the availability of family-sized homes on the market for new young families that can fill our schools and communities with new blood.
An essential element of any plan to support an aging population is an appropriate facility for service delivery. A senior center provides a centralized location for programs that foster physical, mental and financial well-being. The center can serve as a catalyst for the development of age-appropriate housing for seniors in the same neighborhood. With a senior center and age-appropriate housing in the same neighborhood, that enhances the efficiency of transportation services by reducing the distances needed to travel, and increasing the number of potential passengers for such services.
Among the planning opportunities available is the upcoming annual update to the Consolidated Plan for the expenditure of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), a federal program that provides capital funding for projects serving target populations, including seniors. Already, CDBG funds have been dedicated to the Lou Walker Multi-Purpose Center on Panola Road in Lithonia, and the replacement of the North DeKalb Senior Center on Johnson Ferry Road in Atlanta, which was displaced by redevelopment.
The amount of the CDBG funds fluctuates each year depending on how much money Congress allocates. In recent years, the CDBG funds for DeKalb County have been about $5 to $8 million a year. If a Senior Center is included in the Consolidated Plan and approved by the Board of Commissioners, it is eligible for funding from this account. Formal planning is estimated to take a year and actual construction also would require approximately one year.
Commissioners Kathie Gannon, Burrell Ellis, Larry Johnson and I recently had the chance to discuss these considerations with constituents at a "Seniors Town Hall" organized by Life Enrichment Services at the Mason Mill Recreation Center in Decatur. As a result of that dialog, Commissioner Gannon, who is the commissioner for our super district, and I have formally requested that the county initiate a formal planning process to build a senior center in District Two, specifically in the Toco Hills neighborhood (zip code 30329/30033). The timing of such planning would also dovetail well with the county's pending master plan update for capital improvements to the Mason Mill Center in the same neighborhood.
The second and final public hearing to offer input for the Consolidated Plan is Thursday, August 14 at 7 p.m. in the Maloof Auditorium, 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur. Parking in the evening is free in a parking deck across the street (entrance is off West Trinity Place). Your voice is needed to make a senior center for our district a high priority.
As seniors age into their golden years, the county can play a major role to help them maintain their quality of life and contribute to the enrichment of their communities.
--end-- |
|
|
