And We’re Off…….

Race on Over for the

Melrose Senior Community Center

Kentucky Derby Fundraiser

Post Time: Saturday, May 1, 2010, 3 PM – Dark

Track: The Prugh & Adkins Property

706 and 708 Seminole Ridge Road

Melrose, FL 32666

Appetizers ● Dinner ● Mint Juleps & Beverages

Musical Entertainment ● Silent Auction ● And More

Tickets $25.00 Each ● All Proceeds Benefit the Senior Center

Call 352-215-8157 to Reserve Your Tickets Now

Thursday evening, December 12th was the Santa Fe College Watson Center sponsored Forum on “Successful Aging in the Lake Area.” We had a good turn-out but always wish for more.

SFC Dean for Educational Centers, Paul Hutchins, spoke of our community’s good fortune to be the recipient of an American Association of Community Colleges “Plus 50″ grant.  Watson Center Development Specialist, Jennifer Pritchett, focused on community action within the meeting, seeking to draw out what Melrose citizens want, need, and desire in our own unique community.  “Meeting attendees were encouraged to offer up as many ideas as possible, no matter how unpolished, silly, or wild,” Pritchett said.

They are working hand-in-hand with Florida Institute for Workforce Innovation (FIWI), the group building the Melrose Senior Center. Jonathan Leslie told us they have received final clearance and will be soliciting bids for construction, shortly.  He anticipates breaking ground in February, 2010 and construction will take approximately six months.

To obtain in-put from the area citizens present, we were broken into five discussion groups for our collective ideas for what we see as important in order to age well in Melrose. Our comments were collected and will be consolidated to be used as the basis for the next step in this community action process.

The next “Successful Aging in the Lake Area” forum is scheduled for Thursday, December 3, 2009 at Trinity Parish Hall from 6:00 to 7:30 pm to continue defining the wants and desires of Melrose citizens not only to add years to our life, but life to our years.

Community members of all races and ethnicities are encouraged to come and add your input. It’s not too late to get involved. Be sure to mark your calendars to attend  and bring friends and neighbors with you.

A great question from one of our local citizens:
“I wanted to ask about the planned new Senior Center; if there is no defined usage for the new facility the question is: should it be used for recreation, or assistance, or social gathering, or…”

Our response:
We have just set up a page for that purpose – to get feedback on what the community wants. Visit it at: http://melrosefl.com/seniorcenter/ideas.html and give us some ideas.

Let’s have comments here as well as feedback at the web-site.