Grant Helps Arlington Senior Centers Get New Bus
By Nada Atieh
Posted on September 12, 2014, September 12, 2014

Grant Helps Arlington Senior Centers Get New Bus

The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation donated $100,000 to provide a bus for senior citizen outings, Executive Director of Arlington Tomorrow Foundation, Carolyn Mentesana, said.

According to their website, Arlington Tomorrow Foundation's mission is to contribute to Arlington by providing support for the causes which are of importance and benefit to the citizens and their lifestyle.

Senior Recreation Center New York and Arlington Senior Recreation Center offer multiple activities to enhance the value of life of independent adults above the age of 50. The Senior Centers offer dance and fitness programs, dance nights and classes, as well as other programs meant to brighten and enhance the lives of seniors, according to arlingtontx.gov. Planned trips and activities to various destinations are also an exciting component of the two recreation centers.

This was an opportunity to make the bus a reality for about 2,000 members and it was a valuable addition for the senior citizens of Arlington that deserved support, Mentesana said.

"It has been identified as important for the seniors and Parks Program," she said, "It'll help enrich their lives."

The 26 passenger bus will make collective, long distance trips easier and more convenient for seniors as well as short distance trips, Assistant Director of Park Community Programs Bill Gilmore, said.

Two vans were available for travel before the bus but only carried 11 passengers each and provided no wheelchair accessibility for seniors. Until the senior adult bus is available, the vans will remain in use for short distance trips and commercial transportation will remain the only form of transportation for long distances.

The bus will be safe, comfortable and wheelchair friendly. It will include soft, satisfying seating, seat belts and a slip proof walkway, an audio/video system for entertainment and lift access for wheel chairs.

"The new bus is being built by the manufacturer and we will not have it until sometime on December 2014," Gilmore said in an email.

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