FLINT, Mich.— Due in part to the Flint City Council’s failure to approve an extended lease of the Hasselbring Senior Center, city officials announced the City of Flint will take over responsibilities for servicing and maintaining the Hasselbring Senior Center, located on W. Home Avenue, in January.
“This change will allow us to put all of the senior millage funding toward services for seniors,” said Ed Taylor, Chief of Staff for the City of Flint. “Our seniors are an important part of our community, and we are going to make sure this is a positive change that will result in an enhanced level of services for seniors including more field trips, personalized events, and activities they can enjoy and benefit from in a safe space.”
The change comes after the lease agreement with the current vendor expired. City Council has not approved a new contract for operations with the current vendor. And at a recent council meeting members postponed action on the measure indefinitely.
Johnnie Billings has been visiting the senior center for over 30 years. He said the city taking over the center would be a positive change for the community.
“We need more activities for the seniors,” said Billings. “We need to be able to go on more field trips like we used to. Instead of spending over 60 percent of the money for the center on salaries, we could go on more field trips and get better programs. I’d like to see more programs to help seniors become more technologically inclined.”
Through this restructure, the city plans to handle daily operations at Hasselbring and introduce more activities and services for area seniors, and others, to take advantage of. The center will not close and there will be no interruption in services.
Over the next few months, Mayor Neeley plans to engage with seniors who frequent Hasselbring to find out what other services they would like to see at the center, then work to implement them as part of a new and improved program of activities and services offered at Hasselbring Senior Center.
