Bloomberg Backs off Plan to Overhaul Senior Centers

New York, NY —

In a sharp reversal, the Bloomberg administration has decided to shelve its plan to "modernize" senior centers. WNYC's Kathleen Horan has more:

REPORTER: To call the proposal to makeover senior centers in the city unpopular would be an understatement. But the Department for the Aging said it was necessary because the city is graying, and fast. And centers aren't being utilized -- with only 2 percent of seniors actually using them. Their plan required that senior centers double as wellness centers , or risk losing their funding. Seniors feared the modernization would lead to the closure of as many as 100 centers.

And they showed up en-masse at council hearings and sent nearly 19,000 letters opposing the plan to City Hall. Last week the Department for the Aging Commissioner stepped down. The new Commissioner - Lilliam Barrios Paoli says she wants to reach out to stakeholders and reevaluate the plan:

BARRIOS PAOLI: I need to meet with a lot of people and get a sense of why is the anxiety why is the process a problem for them.

REPORTER: Advocates for the Aging say they wonder what the city's new proposal might be -but for now they are celebrating their victory.

For WNYC, I'm Kathleen Horan