THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504130182
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Seniors at the Bow Creek Recreation Center won't be stuck waiting for a ride anymore, thanks to a local retirement complex.
Westminster-Canterbury decided to donate its old, 22-passenger van to the city's Parks and Recreation Department after learning in January about the shortage of vans for transporting seniors to and from the rec centers. Only three vans share the transportation duties at six recreation centers and many seniors have to wait for up to an hour for rides home.
Public relations director Judy Baker approached several resident committees and the board of trustees with the idea of donating the van. Coincidentally, Westminster-Canterbury was ordering another bus at that time. Everyone agreed that it was the best thing to do.
The city isn't getting someone's clunker, either. The van is seven years old and has just 70,000 miles on the odometer. City mechanics thoroughly inspected the van and gave it a ``thumbs up.''
``We had something the city could use,'' said Baker. ``I don't know what we could have sold it for, but to the city it's worth the cost of a new bus.''
New vans cost $19,800; and handicapped-accessible ones can run $28,000 to $40,000. Money just isn't set aside for recreation center vans in the city budget. Susan Walston, director of Parks and Recreation, said that it would be great to have a van at every recreation center, but it's not in the budget proposal going to City Council.
``This year, in cooperation with SEVAMP, we expanded our nutrition program to all sites,'' said Walston. ``The donated van will be very helpful for our senior programs - we have some long routes and will use it to improve the situation.''
On Monday, Westminster-Canterbury's chairman of the board Bob Stiffler presented the van keys to a grateful Mayor Meyera Oberndorf during an outside ceremony at the retirement complex off Shore Drive. Dozens of residents and seniors who attend the recreation center programs watched. Judy Baker asked the mayor if she and her people would like to have a ride in the van.
``With me driving?'' Oberndorf asked with a smile.
``NO!'' Baker replied quickly as everyone laughed.
The mayor sat in the van with 20 of the attendees and rode around the grounds. When the van pulled back in, she stepped off the bus first.
``Oh, it was great!'' Oberndorf said to spectators. ``This is a great way to recycle.''
Inside the lobby, she cut the first piece of a large sheet cake decorated exactly like the van and handed it to Stiffler. Cameras flashed as she continued cutting the cake, licking the icing off her fingers.
Baker, her brown eyes shining, said that everything worked out ``serendipitously.''
``This is helping seniors,'' she said. ``That's really what it's all about.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Robert Stiffler, chairman of the board at Westminster-Canterbury,
hands a golden egg containing the keys to the retirement complex's
old van to Mayor Meyera Oberndorf. It will be used to ferry senior
citizens to rec centers.
Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS
Susan Walston, director of Parks and Recreation, checks out the used
van donated by Westminster-Canterbury retirement complex to the
city.
by CNB