At Monday evening’s city council meeting, Mayor Dewey Roche and the council discussed applying for a grant that would allow them to construct such a facility.
“I think we can get a grant for a senior center,” said Roche, who recently traveled to White Plains, Ky. to see a center that would be comparable to what Auburn would consider building.
The senior center he visited had a large meeting area that could seat around 250, a kitchen, an exercise room and an area for watching television.
Roche said there is a grant that would pretty much cover the cost of building such a center. The city could help with in-kind donations that would include the land and some work on the site.
Roche said he and others had been talking to people about the possibility of building a senior center and the response had been very positive.
“I say go for it,” said Councilmember Steve Montgomery.
Roche said if they are able to build the center he hopes they would be able to get some money from BRADD to get someone to work there.
The council voted to go ahead and apply for the grant.
If it is built, the center would be located right next to the new senior citizen apartment complex which is currently being constructed. The complex will contain 11 one- and two-bedroom apartments for those age 55 and up. Parkview Apartments should be ready to open by around September and people are already expressing interest, Roche said.
• In other news, the council again discussed the traffic situation at Auburn School.
Police Chief Scott Harmon said the parking is getting a little better as they have now posted no parking signs across the street from the school and he has been trying to get out there most afternoons to help with traffic flow. However, the problem of parents stopping in the road to drop off their children continues.
“I think the best thing would be to put a road through behind the school,” Roche said. This is an option that has been discussed before, but the main problem is funding. The city plans to ask the school district to pay for it.
“There’s just not an easy solution,” Harmon said.
The road would run from Park Street to Hill Street behind the school playground.
Roche said he would talk to the Logan County School Board to see what could be worked out.
• The council also discussed a call Roche received from someone reporting that a city truck had been parked in front of a home while the driver, an employee of the city, had been mowing a lawn. Roche said he knew the employee had been using the truck for city business and simply stopped to mow the yard in his own time while driving the truck instead of having to bring it all the way back to get his own car.
“I don’t have any problem with that,” Roche said. The council then voted on whether a city employee can keep a city vehicle if stopping to do personal business on the way back from working.
Councilmembers Steve Montgomery and Gayle Gregory voted no while Ron McGee and Mike Hughes voted yes. Councilmembers Craig Offutt and Wayne Thomas were absent, so Roche broke the tie with a yes vote.
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