Senior center may lose parking

The parking lot at 115 Glen St. in Glen Cove isn’t just a place for downtown shoppers to leave their cars as they go about their day. It isn’t an alternative for drivers who want to get their cars off the street, either. Rather, it helps keep one of the city’s most vital services alive — the Glen Cove Senior Center.

Because the lot is directly across the street from the center, it enables seniors who take part in the center’s programs to maintain their independence. For many, parking far away would make it impossible to use the facility. The city has leased the lot for years, allowing seniors to park there, but the owner of the lot, Car Care Co., is considering terminating the lease, which would put an end to the arrangement.

Peter Gelzinis, the owner of Car Care Co., declined to comment.

Christine Ghent has been a resident of Glen Cove for more than 50 years, and at age 93, she still drives herself to activities at the center and uses the parking lot. “Without it, I can’t imagine how much success the senior center could have,” she said. “Having a parking lot so you can walk across the street with a traffic light is very vital to the existence of the senior center and its well-being.”

Carol Waldman, the center’s executive director, said she, too, was concerned. “Parking is a big part of what allows our seniors to be able to manage independently, to come and go and take advantage of our vital services,” Waldman said.

At a meeting on Dec. 11, City Council members said they were considering purchasing the lot to make it a permanent parking area for seniors. A resolution was proposed by Mayor Tim Tenke, who said he understands the importance of the lot for them. “It’s vitally important for me to keep the best interests of the Glen Cove Senior Center at the forefront,” Tenke told the Herald Gazette, “and available parking is vital to its membership.”

Waldman said that she has appreciated the city’s leasing agreement. “[Se-niors] need to be able to come and go as they please,” she said, “and it’s been a real godsend for the city to be able to lease [the lot] for as long as they have.”

The center began providing seniors with a shuttle bus to the center from members’ homes in 2015, but it has not entirely worked out because it limits the seniors’ independence. Members need to be able to take part in the center’s activities on their own schedules, Waldman said, and relying on a bus schedule would eliminate that convenience.

According to Waldman, the loss of the parking lot could drastically reduce attendance at the center, and, in turn, its state and county funding. She explained that the lunch program, which requires parking availability in the middle of the day, keeps the center going.

“Our luncheon program is what drives county support, and if that goes down, then the support we get from the county could go down as well,” Waldman said. “That would directly affect the ability of the center to exist.”

Many seniors said they were distressed by the idea that they might lose access to the lot, and some said that even finding parking there is difficult enough. “I use this parking lot at least twice a week for the senior center,” Beata Schmeller said. “It’s basically always crowded.”

Ann Ranieri agreed. “We’re lucky if we get a spot in there,” she said. “If [they] take it away from us, we’re lost.”

Elaine Pederson said she, too, was worried. “It’s very traumatizing for us,” she said. “It’s not easy being a senior and having to walk great distances to get to our meetings.”

Waldman said she was seeking support from the public. “My main concern is for people to be aware of how important it is for this community to survive,” she said, referring to the seniors, “so that the rest of the community can survive.”

She added that she and the center’s patrons are ready to do all they can to keep the lot. “Almost anything we’ve been challenged by, we’ve been able to overcome, but this is something we’re all very concerned about,” Waldman said. “It’s critical that we not lose that space.”