By:VICTORIA A. CARUSO
For almost two years, Merrick Senior Center members have been shuffled back and forth between other centers from Bellmore to Lido Beach, as they have eagerly awaited construction of a new facility to call their own. In the summer of 1999, they lost the lease to their Birch School center when the Merrick School District needed space to build more classrooms.
Merrick seniors' long wait should end in late April, say Hempstead Town officials. That is when the town is scheduled to complete a new, 7,300-square-foot Merrick Senior Center on Clubhouse Road.
Construction of the facility has been delayed several times owing to bad weather, officials say. "The rain has been a problem," said town spokesman Michael McConnell in a previous Herald article. "The area has a high water table because of its close proximity to the water."
Of late, Merrick's seniors have met at the town's Lido Beach center weekdays. The trek from Merrick to Lido has proved difficult for Merrick seniors and has led to a decline in member participation, said Kathryn Stebner, the Merrick center's vice president.
"Regular members are coming, but not as often as they used to," she said. "As a result, many activities have been shelved, and trips have been postponed. Also, classes are being held at different centers because not enough people are coming to Lido." Stebner said programs have also been held in such nearby centers as Baldwin, Bellmore and Uniondale/Merrick.
Elaine Whaley, the Merrick center director, said, "Member [participation] is high when we have a big function, but there are not as many people coming on a daily basis. Members who come are coming because they want to keep their ties."
Hempstead is busing Merrick seniors to and from Lido. Because of logistics problems, however, they cannot then attend programs at other centers. "Members wishing to attend the center in the morning and participate in a program at another center in the afternoon must provide their own transportation," Whaley said.
Also, because they have no date for the Merrick center's opening, members cannot plan activities for Senior Citizens Month in May. "We had to cancel these events because it's unclear whether or not the facility will be complete," Stebner said.
Merrick seniors also wonder what will happen if their center isn't complete by May. "The Town of Hempstead would take back the facility we are using at Lido for July and August in order to run its Summer Program at Lido Beach," Stebner said. "That would mean we would not have any particular meeting place of our own." Last summer, Merrick seniors attended the Bellmore center on Mondays, the Lido Beach center on Tuesdays through Thursdays, and the Uniondale/Merrick center on Fridays.
"We are being told the new center will open in May, just in time for Senior Citizens Month," said Eva Leis, a Merrick center member. "The building is up, but how that must done and what needs to be finished we do not know."
As of this week, the center's exterior was finished. McConnell said, "Work is being done now on the interior of the building. Drop ceilings and pipes are being installed. Exterior trim is being finished, and the interior trim around the windows is being done."
Whaley said Merrick seniors look forward to the new center's opening. "They are all psyched," she said. "Everyone is happy to see that it is moving along and will be even happier when they hear when the starting date is."
Stebner said, "Everyone is hanging in there. For that, I give them credit."
