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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A lot of anger erupted after the airing of the Flint City Council meeting on Comcast 17 last Sunday. It had been revealed that Kurtz intended to sell Brennan and Hasselbring for a dollar. Activist Chris Delmore offered $2.
The recipient of the sale is a for profit company Helping Hands, an Alzhiemers Day care Center. Allegations are that this organization has a tax lien of $200,000 to which Kurtz said he did not care. There are other allegations that this organization has familial ties to Rev. Jennings of Grace Emmanuel.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Fri May 31, 2013 8:04 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Wed May 29, 2013 9:17 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Rev. Jennings sits on the Board of Directors of Loving Hands. It was his daughter and a Mark Rice who came to the Hasselbring and told the people thy woud soon be taking over. They had a meeting with the City at 10 am to submit their paperwork.
The City offered the building to the Crim and GCCARD, who both declined the offer. Then Parks Director Patrick Gerace called the director, Chuckie Young and told him to submit his retirement papers because Loving hands was taking over.
The word is the county has not agreed to the transfer although Loving hands receives Senior Millage money. The Center is receiving senior millage and supposedly Loving Hands wants to assume that money as well.
There will be meeting at Hasselbring on June 10th at 10 am. This meeting will include county commissioners and allow the residents to voice their opinions.
Hasselbring phone number is 766-7128. |
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Wed May 29, 2013 9:32 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| The controversy and anger over the sale may have had officials changing their minds somewhat. The story now is that the city is leasing the centers for $1. City is still on the hook for maintenance, so what is the deal. |
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Wed May 29, 2013 10:40 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Flint looks to lease out operations of senior center
Posted: May 31, 2013 3:06 PM PDT Updated: May 31, 2013 3:32 PM PDT
By Lori Dougovito - bio | email
FLINT (WJRT) -
(05/31/13) - The city of Flint is looking to lease out one of its two senior citizen centers - Hasselbring Community Center.
But the deal isn't done yet meaning there is a possibility the center could be closed, even if just briefly, come Monday.
"I have no idea what's going to happen come Monday morning. Nobody at the city has said any more to me then to turn in the keys at the end of the day," said Director Charles Young who retired Friday.
Young says he'd planned on retiring, but not this soon and not with his popular center in limbo.
Flint spokesperson Jason Lorenz said city officials believe they need the county's approval, of an application submitted, to have another organization running the center. The city receives senior millage money, on a reimbursement basis, from the county.
Board of Commissioners Chair Jamie Curtis tells ABC12 the county will only contract with Flint, but the city can have someone else operate the center as long as that organization abides by the contract.
Lorenz declined to name the organization the city is considering because nothing is official yet.
The move to lease out Hasselbring is not just about cost, but also about providing the best service to seniors, according to Lorenz.
The city did not allot any money to operate either of its two senior centers, Hasselbring, on the city's northside and Brennan Community Center, on the city's southside, in next year's budget proposal.
There's no word on what, if anything, will change at Brennan.
"It's not just playing cards and pool," said Pastor William Whitaker. "We're making an impact here."
There are serious concerns from senior citizens, who depend on Hasselbring's services, about what the future holds.
"The sad part is I can't tell them because I don't know," said Young.
Meals are provided at the center as well as computer classes, for example.
"We just heard about it," said Norma Allen who visits Hasselbring regularly. "We didn't have the information so there's no way we could have done anything about it or have the right to say anything about it."
Willie Pollard, who said he's the chair of Hasselbring's Advisory Committee, said the center is not closing.
Pollard said he has been in close contact with Flint city officials.
"Our only alternative was to have somebody run it," Pollard said.
No one had a definite answer as to whether Hasselbring would be open Monday. A sign on the door advertised the hours as usual with the building opening Monday morning.
snowspecial
4 hours ago
I thought the Genesee County Senior Millage paid for the Senior Center costs. Many seniors depend on the Senior Centers for their meals and many of the other services they offer. If they get paid back by the County why are they thinking of having some other group take it over? What is the real reason for this?? The seniors need their meals and services!!! |
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Fri May 31, 2013 8:04 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| What happened to all of the promises of transparency? |
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Fri May 31, 2013 8:05 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Hasselbring Community Center abruptly closes doors, Flint officials looking for third party to run center
Print Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com The Flint Journal
on June 03, 2013 at 9:45 AM
FLINT, MI – Residents on Flint’s north side found the doors locked at Hasselbring Community Center on Monday, June 3.
“Hasselbring Senior Center is currently closed until the city of Flint receives approval on an approved center director,” a sign reads.
“We don’t plan to have it closed for very long,” city Spokesman Jason Lorenz said. “We’re trying to provide an outside vendor.”
Because Hasselbring is operated with money from the senior millage and Lorenz said Genesee County officials have to approve Flint’s application to have a third party operate the center.
Six residents stood in the parking lot Monday morning, concerned that seniors planning to go to the center for lunch would be making a wasted trip.
Delma Jackson, who works for the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department in the consumer protection and has had an office in the center for 12 years, was also left outside.
“They locked me out of my office,” he said Monday morning.
City officials previously said they want to outsource operations of the city's two senior centers.
But individuals who attended the center hosted advisory board election last week, said they want the advisory to run it.
“If you’re going to give it to someone for $1, why weren’t we involved,” asked Pastor William Whitaker, who was elected chairman of the center’s advisory board.
Whitaker said they’d like the retired Director Charles Young to come back on a volunteer basis and let the advisory board run the center.
Young said the previous advisory board hadn’t done anything official at the center for the last five months.
“We’re trying to provide better service,” Lorenz said of using a third party to run Hasselbring.
Genesee County Senior Services Director Lynn M. Radzilowski said she only heard of the Hasselbring center closing this morning.
The center will not receive reimbursement from the county senior services property tax for days that the center is closed and cannot transfer funding to another center without county approval, Radzilowski said.
County Commissioner Pegge Adams, D-Richfield Twp., said Flint officials submitted a plan to use a subcontractor to operate Hasselbring only last week, but the county’s Senior Citizens Advisory Committee hasn’t even met since that time.
The hiring of a subcontractor would also require approval of the county Board of Commissioners, Adams said.
“We have been talking about this for months,” Adams said. “There hasn’t been a lot of time to review it.”
The center, at 1002 W. Home Ave., is one of two centers operated in Flint. Brennan Community Center, at 1301 Pingree Ave., is operated by a different group, Lorenz said.
Staff Writer Ron Fonger contributed to this report.
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. |
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Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:42 am |
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flygirl311
F L I N T O I D
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Hasselbring Community Center to reopen under new management Wednesday, June 5
Print By Dominic Adams | dadams5@mlive.com The Flint Journal
Follow on Twitter
on June 04, 2013 at 4:24 PM
The Hasselbring Community Center was closed abruptly Monday, June 3.
Dominic Adams | MLive.comFLINT, MI – Hasselbring Community Center will reopen Wednesday, June 5, Flint officials said Tuesday.
The center was closed abruptly on Monday, June 3, and city officials cited the director retiring as the reason.
Operation of the center will be outsourced to Loving Hands, which is a senior care company based out of Flint Township.
The center, at 1002 W. Home Ave., will be open for normal hours, according to a statement from the city.
“We signed a contract with a vendor,” city Spokesman Jason Lorenz said. “We’re glad to be opening Hasselbring up.”
Loving Hands is leasing the center from the city, Lorenz said, but he would not say for how much.
He said it has not been determined if the city will sell the center to Loving Hands.
Senior Loretta Burns said she’s glad the center will reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday, but also said it never should’ve closed.
She also thinks the center should be run by its members.
”I would rather have the advisory council doing it,” Burns said. “I think we’ll have our best interest at heart more than anybody else.”
Hasselbring is one of two senior centers in Flint. Brennan Senior Center is operated by an advisory board.
“I wonder why they’re always messing with Hasselbring,” Burns said. “That’s the only building we have.”
Dominic Adams is a reporter for MLive-Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. |
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Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:35 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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I have heard from some Flint residents today and they are furious with the comments made by lynn Rodzilowski of the Genesee County Senior Services.
Radzilowski spoke after the county commission approved the contract with United Senior Services, despite the fact they had huge tax liabilities.
Her comment was "This is a good day. We finally have the opportunity to really let these City of Flint Senior centers blossom."
Obviously letting the City of Flint of the hook for failing to include the centers in their budgets is good for her. Citizens around the city look at the park millage they pay that was to include the senior services as well as the senior millage and feel like they just got screwed and didn't even get kissed.
A good portion of the blame goes to Willie Pollard and the senior advisory group at Hasselbring who didn't have any advisory meetings, trusted the administration and wouldn't stop playing cards even as the axe was falling.
Residents did not listen when they were warned there would be no parity when the senior millage would be distributed. The question remains how the county an make each community beg for their fair share of the millage, Genesee County looks at the City of Flint with disdain and discounts our residents when it comes to services.
That is because the county officials lied to the citizens and even the agencies servicing our senior populations about how good this millage was going to be for everyone. At least Amy McMillan was honest when she described a similar concept for a county wide senior millage. She did not get her millage, but she was honest.
Flint has 4 County Commissioners that share a portion of Flint and none of them speak up for Flint. |
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Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:03 pm |
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00SL2
F L I N T O I D
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| If I recall correctly, part of the problem was failing to account properly for expenditures, and there were many thefts of items purchased for the center(s) which also had to be accounted for. |
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Thu Jun 13, 2013 9:39 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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If I remember correctly, those thefts were from illegal entry into the building. The county kept changing the rules for Flint and that has been an ongoing source of argument. It is harder to hit a moving target and it sometimes appeared that the county wanted Flint to fail.
The county never told the residents how they were going to implement the millage and that should have been done prior to the election. The county has changed the rules constantly to benefit those communities that were favored more. |
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Thu Jun 13, 2013 10:15 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The current arrangement on the Brennan Center only goes to September. Watch Loving Hands will get that lease too despite the $250,000 tax lien they have.
The seniors don't want the youth there despite their contract. Vandalism was reported yesterday as the trash dumpster was pushed into the parking and seniors were met with garbage everywhere, |
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Wed Jun 19, 2013 6:08 am |
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