By Ann Robson: Seasons Correspondent

Moore County is still waiting for a senior center. We are one of a handful of counties in the state without a place officially designated for use by our senior citizens.

The group trying to bring a center to reality has purchased property just north of the Sandhills Children?s Center on N.C. 22 and has an architect?s plans and model.

So far, ground has not been broken.

There are many reasons. Despite support and approval at county and state levels, money has been a major hurdle. There are grants that can be applied for, but in a time of budget crunches, getting matching funds is proving difficult.

?We need community support,? says Terri Prots, director of the Moore County department of Aging. ?We have assurances from the county about staffing once we have a center.?

Grant applications ask for proof of community support. While lip service about the importance of a senior center is important, monetary support is even more important, Prots says.

Recognizing that many community groups are seeking funds at the same time, Prots suggests that community residents and groups seriously consider the importance of a focal point for seniors to go for information, fellowship, education and recreation.

The Department of Aging works out of a small, crowded building in Carthage. Its services are many, but some are operated from different buildings. The Carthage building also houses a nutrition site that occupies a large dining area ? space that could be used for meetings or classes. The need for conference rooms and meeting areas was made clear during a recent county department heads? meeting that was relocated three times because of other events.

The Senior Enrichment Center would provide much-needed space for small or large gatherings. Plans call for recreation space, classrooms, a computer lab, and offices for the director and others involved in providing services to seniors.

Ann Johnson, a leading senior center advocate in the state, suggests that communities look at centers as ?social institutions for seniors, just as schools are for young people.? Johnson says the aging population is about to mushroom in the state, and communities should be planning now for growth.

Moore County?s senior population has grown by leaps and bounds in the past decade, and there appears to be no indication of a slowdown. Many ?baby boomers? are about to become part of the population over 55.

A recent survey performed for the Institute on Aging by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Gerontology revealed interesting data about the state?s senior centers. On average, a center serves 85 people a day. Of the 148 senior centers, 33 serve more than 100 people and 31 serve fewer than 40 people. Fifty of the centers operate satellite centers that serve an average of an additional 57 people daily.

Sizes of the centers vary from less than 3,200 square feet to more than 10,000. The average is 6,640 square feet. Centers are affiliated with a department or council on aging, parks and recreation departments, departments of social services; some are independent. Funding comes from a variety of sources including local and state government, federal block grants, the United Way, fees and donations or other fund-raising.

Activities at senior centers include television, videos, DVDs, lectures, craft classes, fitness classes, trips, dancing and exercises. Some centers offer computers and computer classes, walking paths, outdoor recreation areas, computers for use by seniors, and outdoor sitting areas. The advisory board for the proposed Moore County center has listed more than 50 possible activities.

In the past five years across the state, senior centers have seen an increase in male participants (75 percent), frail participants (50 percent) and people ages 55 to 59 (50 percent). There has been a slight drop in ethnic-group participants and in participants over age 90. The highest percentage of participants are ages 70-79, followed closely by those 60-69. The 80-89 age group is third, the 55-59 group is fourth, and over 90 is the smallest group.

As Prots hopes for the day when the Senior Enrichment Center will be up and running, her department continues to offer a wide variety of programs for seniors. Some are held at the four nutrition sites, in Carthage, Robbins, Southern Pines and West End. Others are offered wherever space can be found. Prots believes that people would participate in the programs if they were held in a centralized location.

Prots noted that the Arts and Crafts fair will be returning to the National Guard Armory in Southern Pines on Saturday, Nov. 3. Other fall programs include a chocolate-molding class, a veterans? program, and trips.