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Jonesville residents urge Yadkin County commissioners to find funding as senior center faces closure
Summary
Jonesville residents told the Board of Commissioners the town's senior center is slated to close at month'end and asked the county to help secure short-term operating funds while a long-term solution is developed; commissioners said they are pursuing options with state and local partners.
Residents of Jonesville urged the Yadkin County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 16 to step in and help keep the Jonesville Senior Center open after learning it is scheduled to close at the end of February.
"We were blindsided by the news that the Senior Center was closing," Linda McComb of Jonesville told the board during the public comment period. She said the center has been "a place of activity, connection, learning, and support for Jonesville seniors for decades" and asked the county to provide funding to keep the center open through the remainder of the fiscal year so the Jonesville Town Council can develop a sustainable plan.
Richard Jones of State Road urged the board to send formal letters on county letterhead to potential funders and elected officials, naming Representative Virginia Fox, Senator Thom Tillis and others as possible contacts. "A letter from the Board of Commissioners would carry a lot more weight than a letter from a citizen," he said.
Why it matters: The commissioners said they want a long-term solution rather than one-time emergency funding. Commissioner Cliff Collins told the meeting that the state appropriation for senior centers totals $1.265 million statewide and has not increased in 19 years, a sum that Yadkin County shares with other counties. He said YVEDDI receives a little more than $30,000 of those state funds for the county's three senior centers and that shortfalls in operating funds may force closures if alternative funding cannot be secured.
County response and next steps: Commissioners said they were pursuing multiple avenues. Vice Chairman Frank Zachary said he had contacted federal and state offices and that local foundations had indicated they could provide short-term help but not recurring funds. "We do not want to keep patching with one-time money," Commissioner Ricky Oliver said, describing the board's preference for a sustainable funding arrangement. Commissioners asked staff to continue outreach to YVEDDI, the Town of Jonesville and possible grantors, and to report back to the board on feasible options.
Context and limitations: County staff and commissioners emphasized that the county had not itself ordered the closure and that the operational funding structure for the center involves YVEDDI and other partners. Ms. McComb said she does not know the exact amount needed to keep the center open; that figure was "not specified" in public comments. The board did not approve any immediate appropriation at the Feb. 16 meeting.
What to watch for: Commissioners said they will return with more detailed proposals and potential funding sources. The timeline for any interim funding decision was not set at the meeting.
