Senior centers vs. personal financial survival

It wouldn't surprise me if the senior citizens take a whuppin' in the Tuesday bid for more property-tax money, this time to fund the removal of the old Children's Home and replace it with a new senior citizens' center and another in the Pataskala area.

Seniors know better than any other class of citizens how tight money is, which is why I suspect they did their part to beat back the schools' repeated requests to come to the tax trough. In fact I can't imagine many elderly property owners voting for more property taxes, no matter what the cause.

Even if it were better financial times and we all felt as though we might afford a bit higher tax bill, this plan would be still be in trouble.

First, there is a definite attachment to that old Children's Home building because of what it stands for - the former home of some local folks who grew up there, and a significant, if unpleasant, symbol of local historic culture - similar to the old jail on Third Street.

Whether the old Children's Home could be renovated with enough perfection to satisfy government administrators of the county aging program is a matter that could stand more study. Perhaps, given a slight willingness for them to bend a little, this building could suffice, perhaps with a new section added.

Second, if renovation isn't the answer, the purchase of a commercial property or one of the abandoned elementary schools or a church - as has been touted at the Advocate forum - should be considered.

Third (something not discussed at all) why couldn't any new facility for the elderly be designed to also serve the entire community? If voters perceived it as a greater good for everyone - for instance including plans for a new municipal pool - it might find considerably more universal support among voters.

Until there is a better plan, seniors need to remember that property tax bills have never been higher nor in recent years have family budgets been tighter. I think lots of folks will consider their own financial survival above benevolence to seniors when they go to the polls Tuesday.