New floors and a new roof are on the agenda for the Central Saanich Senior Citizens Association, and they’re hoping the district will help them pay for it.
With membership open to those older than 50, the Central Saanich Seniors Centre has been a hive of activity for more than 30 years. Located in the back of the Central Saanich library building, the centre includes a large lounge, a small kitchen upstairs; downstairs a larger and newer kitchen serves up monthly lunches and birthday teas and is steps from a large auditorium which hosts activities as diverse as art classes, carpet bowling and aerobics. The association pays the municipality $1 a year to lease the space.
The Centre for Seniors 50-plus is run by a volunteer board and makes use of more than 10,000 volunteer hours per year. Labour and maintenance costs, however, have risen significantly, centre treasurer Sheila Viggers told council.
“We have solicited support from local businesses, but we’re not sure if we qualify for municipal funding,” association president Braunda Gustafson said in a statement to council.
“They would qualify for a grant-in-aid,” said district administrator Gary Nason. However, the district decides which community groups will benefit from grants in the fall.
“Could we explore assisting them with the roof?” asked councillor Susan Mason.
Nason replied that there are not a lot of available grants, but the group’s request for $18,000 to help with repairs could be referred to council’s budget discussions.
“I think it’s special to do something and look after our seniors and elders in our community,” said councillor Terry Siklenka.
Council will look at assisting the seniors with funding during budget deliberations which began March 14.