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Move to Trumbull Career and Technical Center expected to boost use of senior citizen services
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Trumbull County commissioners on Wednesday authorized $1.76 million worth of senior-citizen services for the 2016-17 fiscal year with money from the county senior-services levy.
Funding levels have only changed a small amount in recent years for the major categories of services – in-home and protective services, transportation and senior centers – but there are big changes in store for the struggling Champion SCOPE senior center.
Some time this summer, the center is expected to move into a new location at the Trumbull Career and Technical Center’s Adult Education facilities.
That move will be possible because adult education classes are mostly at night, after the senior citizens will have left.
But the move to TCTC also represents an exciting collaboration between senior citizens and several of TCTC’s high-school programs – such as restaurant services and cosmetology – said Mike Wilson, assistant SCOPE director.
During the school year, the senior citizens will have the opportunity to interact with the students and receive services from the school’s restaurant and cosmetologists, Wilson said.
They will also be able to make use of the fitness facilities and purchase items from the school’s deli.
The cost of the rental space at TCTC will be less than the cost in the space now being used in a plaza across Mahoning Avenue from the school.
The Champion SCOPE center was in danger of closing last year because of low usage, but the numbers have risen dramatically in recent months, and the senior citizens are excited to make the move to TCTC, Wilson said.
Members of SCOPE can use any of the senior centers, so it’s likely that the TCTC location will be popular with more people than just the people who frequent the Champion SCOPE center. The final approval to make the move to TCTC must come from the TCTC school board later this month, Wilson said.
Based on the experiences SCOPE has had with high-school students from Lordstown High School interacting with the senior citizens at the Lordstown SCOPE center, Wilson said he believes the high-school students will also find the beneficial.
“The kids in Lordstown learned how vibrant the senior citizens are,” Wilson said, adding that the students frequently compete against the senior citizens in Wii Bowling.
One of the things the high-school students provide to the senior citizens is training on how to use technology and social networking sites such as Facebook.
Diane Drawl, senior-levy administrator, said one change taking place in funding involves $35,000 being moved from home-delivered meals and protective services to the 10 senior centers in the county.