Sneeky Survey... What is the real Question Being Asked?

Every Person Who Recieves the Senior Citizen’s News Letter or attends the Senior Center on a regular basis has been petitioned for their response to the following. Their opinon is important. However, the entire community should be included in the discussion of the idea of building Senior Only Affordable Housing at the cost of going into debt and the use of other City Resources including Land, and Personnel expense. So here is my response to the Survey and Related Documents.

The first document folds into an envelope with the following support statements to be affirmed.

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Grand Terrace Senior Housing Project
City Manager’s Office
22795 Barton Rd.
Grand Terrace, Ca92313

August 4, 2005

Come view the plans for the new Senior Center and the Blue Mountain Senior Villas.

Social hour with refreshments at 6:00 pm in the Community Room at City Hall followed by the Planning Commission Meeting at 7:00 pm.

_____ I support the City’s efforts (through its Redevelopment Agency) to bring an affordable senior housing project to the City of Grand Terrace. Count me in as a supporter of the Senior Housing (Blue Mountain Senior Villas) Project!!!

______ I am interested in a Blue Mountain Senior Villas for myself and/or a family member.

Please Mail us this card today!

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Grandpaterrace Cautions: Don’t be tricked by refreshments and a apparent openness at the Planning Commission Meeting.

Note: There is no place to mark or indicate that you do not support the City’s efforts (through its Redevelopment Agency) to bring an affordable senior housing project to the City of Grand Terrace. There is no place to be counted as not in support for the Senior Housing (Blue Mountain Senior Villas) Project.

Note: There is no place to indicate non interest in the Blue Mountain Senior Villas for the respondent or a family member.

Now on to the Survey they passed out to the senior’s at the Senior Citizens center, which is even more telling of their motives and modus of operandi.
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GENERAL SURVEY RESPONCES
FOR
THE BLUE MOUNTAIN SENIOR VILLAS
Automatically the “Survey is FOR” the Villas

1. How many years have you been a resident of Grand Terrace?

This is an attempt to know how may people are living in under taxed houses that could be sold at today’s market and thus be income for the realtors and developers and the city when the homes of seniors are sold either by choice or eminent domain enforcement. The city could make an argument that seniors can be house at the Villa and make an economic Gain for the city in the resale of their property to a second party at current market value.

2. Are you or your spouse working full time in the area?

What on earth does this have to do with Senior Housing? Perhaps it is hoped that the people who commute to work and view Grand Terrace as only a pit stop will leave after they retire from work. Again this would put their houses on the market to the benefit of realtors and the city wishing for a higher tax evaluation and income.

3. Do you have children and/or other family members in the area?

If you have children in the area, you may transfer the house to them and maintain its low prop 13 value and thus thwart the income potential of the Realtors and City Manager.

4. When you are ready for retirement, would you like to remain in Grand Terrace?

Senior housing is not for Grand Terrace Residents only. The question should be will any senior find living in a city with no convenient public transportation, and logistic difficulties to services such as medical, dental and even shopping services be attractive for an ageing population. Is a town which is doing everything it can to add to the necessity of driving a car, in added congestion be an attraction to Seniors? Is a town that effectively prohibits the use of Light Neighborhood Electric Vehicles by its two dissecting roads having speeds greater than 35mph prohibiting access to grocery stores and coffee shops?

Would you like to live in Grand Terrace when you are facing the threat of Eminent Domain if the City wants to give your property to a second party for development?

5. Do you feel there is sufficient housing for senior citizens in Grand Terrace?

How about asking is there sufficient housing for any one living on the income of a Senior Citizen or Minimum or Middle Wage Income Family?

6. Do you believe that more senior housing would be beneficial to the community?

It is the City to analyze the financial ramifications on which a decision should be made. Soliciting a statement of believe does not make such a belief a fact or a reality. The reality is if the seniors are herded into Senior Housing, their homes will be sold at current market prices, and will be reassessed for taxes and the tax income will increase. The question is. Is this sufficient to off set the debt the city will be going into in order to build the Senior Housing. Will the seniors and their Families be better served by this arrangement? Will the City, builder or developer of the facility guarantee a place to live if their building fails like the one in Colton did, and now seniors are scrambling to find affordable places to live?

7. Would you object to having a senior retirement complex in your neighborhood?

Senior Complexes have some of the following features. Ambulances often call to render aid, or remove deceased members of the community. Often there are sirens associated with the services being required. Senior Complexes often isolate seniors to associate with persons only of their age group, and alienate relationships with family members. Children or Grand Children can’t Stay Over at Grandma’s or Grandpa’s. If there is a need for a Grandparent to assume guardianship of a minor, in Senior Housing this would not be permitted.

8. Do you feel that senior retirement complexes have a significant economic impact on your community?

The use of debt is a significant economic impact on the community, the use of contracts that begin with a 60 year lease at $1.00 per year is an economic impact on the community. The potential liability of a city owned or associated development is a potential for serious economic impact on the community. The loss of Grandparents freely associating and participating in the rising of their grandchildren is an un-measurable economic loss to the community.

9. Do you have any specific concerns related to the proposed Blue Mountain Senior Villas?

Specific concerns are the real cost of the construction, maintenance, and budget forecast of the Villas. The entire financial plan and proposal should be made public prior to escrow or any commitment of CRA or City Funds, or lease signing, or development rights given. Competitive Proposals should be solicited and presented in detail to the public. Eminent Domain Laws for the City of Grand Terrace should be changed making it impossible to have it used for “development” other than for roads, schools or parks, and not for a “increased economic gain” or “Sale to a Developer for Added Value to the City”. Affordable housing for Seniors Only is Ageism and is objectionable as in this city there is insufficient Affordable housing for Families or Single Persons of any age.

10. If asked, would you write a letter of endorsement (note) supporting the Blue Mountain Senior Villas and the expansion of the present grand Terrace Senior Center?

This is an odd one. How about asking for folks to write a letter of non-endorsement? Is the city only looking for affirmation? Could it be they don’t want to hear anything other than what they wish to hear? This slant defiles the validity of this quire as a “Survey” it is a series of questions which are intended to gather data for nefarious purposes and inspire a euphoric response to an abstract idea presented with no details or facts.

11. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for senior activities or support programs?

Senior activities should collaborate with the city provided youth activities or school activities. The city should provide transportation from the center to the schools for reading with Grandma or Grandpa after school or during school. Game Time with Grandma or Grandpa can help with learning numbers or letter recognition. Older children can help document the life history of the seniors. In addition the seniors should have a band shell where non amplified music is provided to them and the entire community. This could also be in combination with a senior’s petting zoo or kennel, where seniors and perhaps the 4H can collaborate on keeping of a small number of animals. This is therapeutic and educational for both seniors and the youth. Raised vegetable gardens where seniors can raise their favorite vegetables would be a great activity for those old farmers in our community.

Reduction of the inter city speed limit to a maximum of 35mph would facilitate the use of Light Electric Vehicles in the City. This would provide an economical and safe way for seniors to travel and shop in the city. It would also allow them a way to get to the pick up point for the bus (they could leave their LEV in the Stater’s Parking lot, and the Bus could pull in to the parking lot to let them off near their LEV.

12. Have you ever visited the Grand Terrace Senior Center? If so, what was your impression?

The Seniors there have good relations and try to keep active relationships with persons their own age, and interest levels. However, they are very active with their family and the family connection should be encouraged and enhanced and supported. Family caretakers should be provided with more information and services and respect within the city.

13. Have you ever had a meal or participated in an activity at the Center? If so, what was your impression?

My impression was that the Senior Center being small is not generally welcoming to extending its relationship with the non senior community and thus creating an isolation or segregation of the ages as it performs its chartered duties.

Revised 06/13/05
Evaluated and Answered and Questioned 07/27/05 Grandpaterrace