The city's Finance and Personnel Committee voted to offer the Friends of Seniors a two-year lease extension in the former Lakeside Community Center at 201 Goold St. The Friends pay the city $20,000 a year to rent the space; they also cover utilities and have made improvements to the building since taking it over in 2004.
Dick Hinsman, of the Friends of Seniors, appeared before the committee Monday to request a lease extension. The Friends' lease is up in April or May, Hinsman said.
The committee's main discussion was whether to give the Friends a one or two-year extension. Alderman Jim Spangenberg, chair of the committee, said Mayor John Dickert favored a one-year extension.
The committee added a second year to the lease after committee members reported the Racine Zoo appeared to have lost interest in the building.
Hinsman said the two-year lease will help the Friends increase its membership because it shows stability for the senior center. He added that if another opportunity comes along - like a regional senior center for eastern Racine County - the Friends can leave the city's building with a 30-day notice.
Not that that's likely. Hinsman said he's been trying to get Racine, Caledonia, Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant officials together to discuss a regional center for the past year, but no one seems interested.
For now, he said, the Friends are happy at the Belle City Senior Center.
"1,100 seniors thank you," Hinsman told the Finance and Personnel Committee after its vote.
Actually, most of the elective offices of that group are vacant due to one woman. No one can work with her, she thinks she owns the senior group. So many have left that organization because of this. Thus, there is no oversight of this group. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThis is a real ineffective group. So is Hinsman. The building would be better used by the Zoo.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good group in need of new leadership. Unfortunately people are discouraged in seeking office for one reason.
ReplyDeleteDear 1/12/2010 7:55 AM, Since people are more important than exotic critters,the seniors--not the zoo and its pampered critters--should have the building. (Many of my elderly friends hope that the current economic crisis will put an end to city and county support for the zoo. They're tired of being taxed to the max to subsidize a cushy lifestyle for giraffes, merecats and Ankole-Watusi cattle.)
ReplyDeleteIn fact, if the city and the county didn't have to support wild animals at a totally-unnecessary zoo, our seniors could have a permanent center. When my senior pals saw a certain corporation's silly float glorifying the zoo in last year's Fourth of July parade, they nearly threw up. All over town, elderly folks on low, fixed incomes are being taxed out of their homes because our local elite and its cronies from Cornell value animals more than human beings. Close the zoo, sell the animals, turn the site into a park and give our seniors a permanent center.
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason to close one at the expense of the other. Someone must aid the Seniors by providing them a good location. I can't believe with all the vacant buildings in Racine, a location could not be found and offered at a reasonable rate. At least it would be guaranteed money rather than no money.
ReplyDeletewow, the city charges the senior center that much?
ReplyDeleteI am a senior who has lived in Racine all my life. I like the zoo and believe it is a valuable resource to our community.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the tax payer needs to our should pick up the tab for senior recreation or a place for them to hang out. Many churches, community centers and even the Salvation Army have programs for senior citizens.
As a group, senior citizens are the most wealthy segment of our society. There is no reason why The Friends of Seniors can not find a non tax supported building for their "fun and games".
Action not constant whining is needed to move this issue forward. Where is the determination, independence, creativity, and drive that made us " The Greatest Generation"?
"Someone must aid the Seniors by providing them a good location."
ReplyDeleteWhy? Why does making it to old age mean you are entitled to anything?
The zoo is losing money. The seniors pay rent. We should be happy to have the seniors in that building.
ReplyDeleteI read several other cities news and online newspapers. The hot topics are things being cut. They are laying off city workers, cutting programs etc. Not in Racine though. We are purchasing recycle bins, what a waste and wrong direction.
The mayor got beat down again; by Spangaburg no less! Wow, he must be getting ready to fight the gas station next! GO JIM!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe mayor was trying to help his campaign contributor, the executive director of the zoo.
ReplyDeleteThe Friends of Seniors should be looking for private funds for their center rather than asking for City property tax dollars to support them. I bet the Wheaton Franciscans and RAMAC would help find private sector funding if presented with a proper plan and budget. I am a senior living on a fixed income and do not want my taxes to go up just to pay for a recreation facility formy peers.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, how many of the 1100 members Hinsman says they have are from the City of Racine. I suspect most of them live in Caledonia and Mt Pleasant.
It is time to stop whining and being narrow minded and start thinking about what is best for the entire City of Racine
3:51 - it sounds to me that you are also whining - if you are a senior rather than knocken them, why don't you join.
ReplyDeleteDear 10:11 AM, Although the zoo may be "valuable" to some people, my friends who reside within blocks of it wish that it were closed forever. To begin with, the zoo literally stinks. If you live downwind from the place, you can't escape the stench. Then there's the noise problem. Everytime our richie-poo class sponsors jazz concerts and other raucous events at the zoo, the neighbors get an earful. Let's not forget the drunks who attend the above mentioned gatherings--often they use the neighbors' yards as urinals. Finally, because the city views the zoo as an asset, nearby homes are over-valued and their owners wind up paying high property taxes. (Since proximity to the filthy zoo actually lowers a resident's quality of life, the city ought to reduce the appraisals and property taxes, not increase them.) Regardless, a poverty pit of a city such as Racine doesn't need a zoo. On the other hand, we have plenty of low-income seniors who need and deserve a senior center.
ReplyDeleteWhen you judge the relative merits of the zoo or a senior center, ask yourself the following question: who's done more for the community--the Greatest Generation or exotic animals? I think the answer is self-evident.
ReplyDeleteMr. Angry you never fail to disappoint and provide your normal negativety - we can always count on you. By the way, most of the people who live around the zoo moved there after the zoo was there so they knew what the were getting.I guess you can say the animals have squaters rights. In any event there is no reason why both entities should not be able to exist. There are plenty of vacant buildings - the Seniors just need to find one. And finally don't you get tired of the term richie poos - sounds like sour grapes to me. Get a life.
ReplyDeleteIt is a no brainer that the zoo should not be expanded at this time. People can walk from the current parking. The seniors are doing a great job. They worked hard and waited a long time for a center. Let the zoo work on getting out of the red first. We clearly need to have a center for our seniors. Maybe memberships can be more expensive for those living in Caledonia and Mount Pleasant.
ReplyDeleteDear 1:13 PM, Who the heck is Mr. Angry? I'm just a Racine resident who has several friends who live near that ridiculous zoo. Considering Racine's reputation for poverty and gangs, our town doesn't need a menagerie. Frankly, my pals and I are weary of being taxed to support critters which don't have to be here.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look a history, you'll see that zoos started out as status symbols flaunted by royals but funded by commoners. Later on, in the seventeen-hundreds, the elitists opened them to the public. Needless to say, in an era when most people were scrambling to survive, the rank-and-filers' interest in zoos was minimal. Nevertheless, the privileged classes continued to tax the less-fortunate to support those zoos. Today, the rich persist in promoting zoos while continuing to expect the long-suffering taxpayer to subsidize them. Unless you're wealthy or your middle name is "Tarzan," zoos are nothing but expensive trouble. On the other hand, ordinary people can understand the need for a senior center and can use such a facility. So I'd support a senior center in preference to a smelly, pricey and utterly-senseless zoo.
ReplyDelete9:24 - my guess is that the zoo was there before your pals moved there,so they knew what they were getting - and actually they have done an excellent job of reducing odors over the years. The zoo is a great asset to the city.
ReplyDeleteScrew the seniors. Years ago my 5 year old daughter had to go potty really bad and when I went into the center (Knowing that city taxpayers like myself support the thing) to let her use the bathroom, one old bitty tried to kick me out. I told her to go jump in the lake. What the heck kind of old grandma would stand there and possibly make a 5 year old pee her pants?? Sick human being I tell ya.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I don't respect any senior from that day on except my relatives and veterans that sacrificed and fought in the wars.
Piss on you old lady and your center. She's probably the old bat that the first poster talked about.
There is an old bitty who thinks she owns the building and the senior center. That is why most of the "elected" offices of the seniors are vacant. She should be removed but there is no one to remove her! Hinsman is exaggerating, as usual, always. Anything to get a real estate listing, that's him. He is there soley to pump up his listings with the few seniors who do wander in.
ReplyDeleteIf you laugh too loud while playing cards, the old bitty will move your table into the corner. I tell you she is the worst thing for this senior movement.
The city shouldn't support this organization. As a matter of fact, their books should be examined!
They certainly need new officers, but the problem being, is that there is no one standing in line to take over.
ReplyDeleteShe is a crabby old lady!
ReplyDeleteDear 1/14/2010 9:38, Whoever told you that the zoo is an asset to Racine must live far away from the dirty, smelly place. (Although I don't reside in its vicinity, some of my friends do. Without an exception, they wish the zoo were somewhere else.) All my pals know is that their property taxes go to support critters instead of helping our low-income citizens. Also, the zoo attracts noisy crowds, particularly during jazz concerts and other unnecessary events.
ReplyDeleteAs for the mean old lady who didn't let the little girl use the restroom at the senior center, she should be ashamed of herself. Such behavior is ammo for every opponent of programs for our Greatest Generation.
ReplyDelete12:35 - you are an idiot. Did you read my post. Who was there 1st your "pals" or the zoo. As I said before, they knew what they were getting, plus you are extremely overstating the odor.
ReplyDeleteCalling people idiots doesn't solve problems. Also, some of my pals' families owned homes on N. Main Street long before that filthy zoo was built. As for folks who moved to the area subsequent to the founding of the zoo, human beings should possess priority over useless (and often dangerous) wild animals. The bottom line about zoos is the fact that they exist because the privileged classes want them. They're elitist status symbols touted by the oligarchy but funded largely by the rank-and-file. With all the poverty and misery in Racine, we don't need cosseted critters and a tax-supported zoo.
ReplyDelete11:39 - You are an idiot. Have you ever gone to the zoo? I'll tell you the so called elitist are a very, very small % of those that frequent it. It is a reasonable fee for all to appreciate - so give it up. It is there to stay. Too bad for your "pals" - as I said before they knew what they were getting, so their probably idiots also.
ReplyDeleteVerbal abuse doesn't solve problems, so please stop calling people idiots. As for trips to the zoo, my family and I have paid the place three visits in as many decades. To most of my friends, the zoo is a pricey establishment for the upper-middle classes and the elite. (Be honest: who else would be interested in Ankole-Watusi cows, aka the "Cattle of Kings"?) Any way you look at it, the zoo is a drain on our elderly low-income property taxpayers, many of whom want to see it shut down or cut out of the city and county budgets.
ReplyDeleteIf there is no one waiting in line to take over for current officers of the Friends of Seniors, Maybe the organization is not worth it. There are many people interested in servicing on the Zoo Board of Directors.
ReplyDeleteThat should tell us something about the value of each organization. Sounds like seniors want something for nothing just like usual.
4:30 - You are an idiot. Ha!
ReplyDeleteVerbal abuse merely exacerbates disputes without solving problems. Let's agree to disagree without calling each other idiots.
ReplyDelete10:15 - you are an idiot to continue to respond to my posts - Ha,Ha
ReplyDeleteDear 10:15, Needling people with whom you disagree and calling them idiots is counter-productive. Can't you find something better to do?
ReplyDeleteYea - 10:15, cut it out! Ha, Ha, Ha!
ReplyDeleteDear 1/21/2010 2:38PM, Ridiculing people by calling them idiots is silly. Regarding the zoo, shelling out city and county cash to support a menagerie during a depression is ridiculous. Zoos belong in large, prosperous municipalities, not poverty-ridden moribund Rustbelt burgs like Racine.
ReplyDeleteat old bitty you talk about is just the director...although she thinks she's thr owner. dhe i merely a volunteer just like all of the other volunteers that offer their services to keep the place running. she is the dictater that gives the order and will say" if you dont like it you can leave"how can one volunteer fire another volunteer?
ReplyDelete