THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 20, 1995 TAG: 9501180164
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Free van rides to activities at the city's recreation centers are popular with senior citizens who have no other transportation.
But it takes Hazel Devlin an hour to get to the fun, even though she lives only about three miles from the Seatack Community Center.
``I'm the first one on in the morning and the last off in the afternoon,'' Devlin said.
``It's better than walking,'' said Hattie Bancroft, who counts herself lucky to live five minutes away from the Seatack center.
The special transportation can make a very long day, though. The van may arrive as much as 1 1/2 hours before activities at the rec centers begin. The reason is that vans are scarce - there are just three for six centers to share. At Bayside, Bow Creek, Kempsville and Seatack the 14-passenger vans have to make two trips to get everybody there and back on days that senior activities are held.
With the exception of Seatack and Princess Anne, centers hold their senior activities on different days, so vans serve just one facility at a time.
Seatack has a daily senior center with about 45 regular riders and a waiting list. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the busiest days. Then, the van driver makes 1 1/2 to two trips and the early load of riders sips coffee for about half an hour until the second load arrives.
Seatack shares a van with Princess Anne, which has a two-day-a-week senior program. Complicating the timely pickup of passengers going to Princess Anne is that participants live in a widespread area, as far south as the North Carolina line.
For the second year, the Parks and Recreation Department budget has asked for five or six more vans. Even just one more is an expensive request. New vans cost $19,800. Vans accessible to the handicapped run between $28,000 and $40,000.
``So you see why we can't just jump out and buy another one,'' said Sara L. Hensley, recreation administrator. ``We also have to take into consideration the maintenance, upkeep, gas and who's going to drive that van.''
It would be money well-spent, said Robert C. Leedom, center coordinator at Princess Anne. The vans could be used to transport students from schools to after-school programs at the centers.
``We feel in several years, that van would be cost effective. We'd bring that back in revenue from our programs,'' Leedom said.
Recreation officials say they have tried to improve one aspect of the system already. Since the first of this year, seniors reserve their van seats by calling the center they plan to attend, not by calling a central number. Reservations have always been made on a first-come, first-served basis. The new system has already drastically cut the number of calls processed by center employees.
The rest depends on upcoming budget decisions, scheduled for February. According to Nancy L. Leavitt, budget analyst in the city's budget office, chances may be better this year than last.
``We've set it up so there's a two pronged attack,'' Leavitt said. The vans have been requested through both the regular budget process and through a special fund designed to meet documented demand. ``We know there are citizens out there that would make use of these vans, so it's unmet demand.''
Nellouise Stepp, senior coordinator at the Bayside center, knows about demand. On Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. her seniors exercise, play cards, make crafts and have some peppy conversation. Then, at the end of nearly four hours of entertainment, they're ready to leave.
``I have about seven of them waiting here to go home on second shift,'' said Stepp recently. ``They've been sitting here since 1:30 and they're tired. They want to go home. They'll be waiting 45 minutes before the van comes back from the first load to get them, then the ride home could take an hour before the last person gets off.''
She paused and then hollered out toward the oldsters, ``Don't you all go to sleep on me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Kathryn Gaston, left, waits her turn to board a van at Bayside
Recreation Center. Sometimes the van is so full, it must make extra
runs to carry the seniors.
VAN RIDERS
The number of seniors who use the free van service regularly to
attend senior activities at area recreation and community centers
varies widely:
Princess Anne - 10 to 14 riders.
Seatack - 45 riders.
Bow Creek - 15 - 22 riders.
Kempsville - 13 - 25 riders.
Great Neck - 9 - 11 riders.
Bayside - 20 th 25 riders.
by CNB