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When the dust settles, let's play
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, HOMOSASSA SPRINGS -- Thick dust covered the folding tables and debris obstructed a hallway. A workman fiddled in the kitchen, cooled by the refrigerated breeze that wheezed from an aging air conditioner. No doubt about it: On this day, the old Disabled American Veterans building wasn't much to look at. But it will be by Oct. 1. Otherwise, Pat Coles will want some answers. On Oct. 1, the former DAV outpost begins its new life as Citrus County's third community center. It's a dream come true for government workers, who have long wanted a west-side place to complement the centers in Inverness and Lecanto. Coles, who helps oversee the centers for the county's Department of Community Services, was eager for the county to buy the building. Now she's eager for Opening Day. "I can't wait to walk in here and the place is filled and decorated and (people are) having fun," she said. The Lecanto Multi-Purpose Senior Center, off County Road 491 just south of State Road 44, caters only to seniors. The East Citrus center, on SR 44 E next to the Gospel Island fire station, receives many elderly guests but technically is open to people of all ages. The West Citrus Community Center will be similar to its East Citrus counterpart: Available to all but probably attractive mostly to the senior set. The new center is on Veterans Drive, just west of U.S. 19, north of County Road 490 and south of Ozello Trail (County Road 494). There is plenty of parking, and the county bus system can arrange rides for people who don't drive. The center will have doors and restrooms that are accessible for disabled people. What will patrons do once they arrive at the new place? Eat lunch, for starters. West Citrus will become a site for the county's congregate dining program, which is financed through federal grants and patron donations. There is no means test; the only requirement is that diners be 60 or older. The lunches are served Monday through Friday. Once the spacious West Citrus center is ready, the county will stop using the Homosassa Lions Club and a Crystal River church hall as lunchrooms. Those diners -- about 15 people dine at the Homosassa site, while eight are regulars in Crystal River -- will be directed to the new center. Before and after the noon meal, patrons will have plenty of room to take dance lessons, play bingo (the DAV left a good working bingo system behind), shoot pool, work on arts and crafts, and even log onto the Internet. Coles plans to arrange for some basic computer courses so seniors can learn to e-mail relatives and otherwise navigate cyberspace. Most activities will take place in the big meeting room. The building also features a kitchen, arts and crafts room and plenty of space for offices. One office will belong to Coles, who now works at the Lecanto Government Building. A few other staffers will join Coles. Also stationed at the new center: site manager Brenda Gates and a new senior service project coordinator. Staffers plan to travel door-to-door in the neighborhood, letting people know the center is opening soon. If nothing else, they know the people who eat lunch at the west-side congregate dining areas will find their way there. "We're going to really target this area, to let the people know we are here," Coles said. Operating the community center shouldn't be any trouble because county staff has ample experience working in Lecanto and Inverness. But a few things, such as operating costs, remain unknown. Bonnie Saylor, a fiscal administrator who works with Coles, said she doesn't know how long the air conditioning system will last. And she doesn't know what the utility bill will look like. The center will have its formal grand opening a few weeks after the doors open Oct. 1.
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