Trumbull County commissioners have awarded SCOPE Senior Services $13,380 in senior services levy money over two years for the startup of a senior center in Brookfield.
The money is about half of what was requested, said SCOPE Executive Director Mike Wilson. That means the center likely will have to rely on volunteers to open up each day, put the coffee on and sign up people for programs, and the center will only be open two to three days a week, he said.
“We’ll work it out,” Wilson said.
The senior center will be located in the former Tiffany’s Event Center on Bedford Road, which Brookfield Local School District recently bought. School officials plan to renovate the building to house its building trades and robotics programs, the community liaison’s office, and its online academy/credit recovery program, but is setting aside a portion of the building for use by SCOPE.
The interior demolition of the building is complete and bids for the renovation are to be opened Dec. 4.
Wilson said he was told by school officials that SCOPE likely will not be able to open its senior center before next summer. That gives Wilson time to work out details on how to operate the center and what services to offer. He said he will circulate a survey to find out what kind of services people will want, and then come up with a plan to offer them.
“We’re excited,” Wilson said, noting he also is opening new centers in Bristol and Champion. “It looks like we’re gonna have a great relationship with the school system, Toby and his people.”
Toby Gibson is Brookfield school’s superintendent.
SCOPE is an arm of Family and Community Services Inc. of Ravenna, a non-profit organization.
