MOUNT VERNON — The immediate and long-term future of The Station Break came under discussion when the Knox County Commissioners met with the members of The Station Break board of directors Thursday morning.
The 2006 numbers for the organization showed the facility prepared a total of 107,202 meals last year. That number included meals from its Amity location and 11,465 meals it provided to Centerburg Senior Services.
The Sanctuary in Danville, which uses levy funding but prepares and distributes its own meals, also provided 10,959 meals in 2006.
The group also addressed the building of a new senior services center to replace the old Station Break building. Board president Al Haschak gave a presentation showcasing construction projects across the state that feature extensive collaboration between public and private entities.
Some of the projects, from areas such as Stark County, Mason City and Wooster, combined public high schools and community centers with facilities such as medical clinics, public libraries, fitness centers and daycare providers, all under one roof.
Hashchak, who also serves as the business director for the Mount Vernon School District, explained that he was not “making a pitch” for the school system, nor was he suggesting that the plans from other communities would necessarily fit into the plan for Knox County.
He said the presentation was simply meant to show the power that collaboration can achieve when people and agencies check their egos at the door, working together to make the best use of limited resources instead of competing for them.
Haschak also talked about the need for The Station Break to adapt to the changing face of the senior population, which will soon include baby boomers, a demographic that represents approximately 29 percent of the total population.
“The Station Break as we know it will be no more,” he said, explaining that baby boomers are a very active generation and that many will not retire in the conventional sense.
Adjusting to this new demographic and working to provide stimulating and inclusive activities for seniors and youth alike would give the new senior citizens center more of a family center atmosphere, and would help The Station Break to stay relevant in the future, according to Haschak.