Rick Patrick
rick@greenepublishing.com
After years and months of waiting and delays, the long- anticipated senior citizens building in Greenville finally opened their doors for the citizens of Greenville; or did they? Recently, a representative from the Senior Citizens Council of Madison contacted Greene Publishing, Inc. stating that the Senior Citizens Council has been unable to adequately provide meals to the seniors of Greenville because the senior citizens building remains locked. “The Greenville Site Manager was informed by the town manager, Lee Jones, that the senior building would be unlocked by the time she [the Senior Citizens Greenville site manager] gets to Greenville with the food for the seniors because [the] Senior Citizens Council of Madison does not currently possess a key. That has not been the case.” The Senior Citizens Council of Madison brings meals from Madison to Greenville, to be served each weekday,from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to the representative from the Senior Citizens Council, they bring hot meals to Greenville Monday through Friday. Ideally, these meals would be brought to the senior center, located next to Town Hall, and placed in the ovens in order to keep the meals hot and to provide a place where the seniors could sit down, eat their meals and socialize, if desired. However, since the Senior Citizens Council has not been able to access the locked building, meals have been put into carry-out containers and handed out to the senior citizens outside the building. This causes the meals to become cold by the time they are distributed, so the Senior Citizens Council member said.
This issue became a topic of conversation among the Greenville Town Council members during their regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 9. “Someone approached me about this and said they had to pass out the meals in the parking lot because they didn't have a key,” said Council Member Calvin Malone. “That's kind of embarrassing to me.”
“I know they are fussing about it, but you might see three to five people there [for the meals],” said Council Member Virginia Hamilton.
“I have something to say about that,” said Wayne Malone, a Greenville town employee. “I have a key [to the building], and the lady that brings the food, she can call me anytime and I'll come and unlock that door. So that's not no excuse [sic]. I haven't even seen a van over there. I've been looking for it.”
“Anything to do with meals, whether they do it from their van, or whatever, that's the Senior Citizens Council, we're just offering them space,” said Greenville Mayor Brittni Brown. “What I've been told is sometimes, because it's such a small group, it's just easier for them to bring they [sic] little van, they park it and hand out those to-go trays and they're done, verses trying to unpack all that stuff and put it in our kitchen, you know what I mean? There's [sic] not a lot of senior citizens being served; I'm not sure where they are. There's not a lot of seniors getting their meals at the building, so it may just be easier to do those few out of the van.”
A call was made to Town Hall and the person answering the phone said the center is open to those wishing to use it, however they would need to call Wayne Malone to gain access to the building. The center does not have regular, posted times it is open, due to the fact that no volunteers are available to monitor the building if it remains open for an extended period of time.
According to the Senior Citizens Council, the building was opened for them on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 25 and 26. There have been other days when food had to be brought back to Madison without being served, due to the fact that a minimum food temperature was unable to be maintained, as required by state food inspectors and regulations. It is unknown if the building was unlocked on Friday, Jan. 27.
Regardless of whatever kind of agreement the Senior Citizens Council has had in the past with the Town of Greenville, currently they are being offered access to the senior center; if Wayne Malone, or someone else will unlock the building and grant access to the kitchen. In the meantime, for however many seniors come to have lunch, their lunch may be hot and ready, their lunch may be cooling off, or they may have to go without.