SEBASTIAN – A group of retirees will be allowed to set up an office within the former Finance Department at Old Sebastian City Hall, the city’s council decided.
For $500 a year, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program can have 100 square feet of space so that the organization can recruit and organize volunteers in the area. “It’s a minor impact,” Sara Bumgarner told the council when asked about the annual cost, which would cover utilities.
Bumgarner, of Senior Resource Association, thanked the council for its support of providing space.
“We hope to better serve” the volunteers, she said, explaining that having a north county presence would make it more convenience for the Retired Senior Volunteer Program’s 100 registered volunteers.
While Bumgarner did not appear to have an issue with the group paying $500 for utilities, Sebastian resident and businessman Damien Gilliams did.
He told the council that the city should waive the expense, noting that RSVP is bringing volunteers into the city to the city’s benefit.
“It’s a beautiful thing that we’re providing space,” he said, but “five hundred dollars is a joke.”
Bumgarner assured the council that the $500 utility fee would not be a burden for the group because they recently received a grant that would offset the expense.
Councilman Eugene Wolff told Gilliams that had RSVP expressed concern about being able to afford the annual expense, he would have recommended the city waive it.
“This is a very good thing,” Vice Mayor Jim Hill said.
RSVP is an organization that matches retirees with groups and agencies seeking volunteers. The Senior Resource Association has sponsored RSVP in Indian River County since 1984.
According to RSVP’s website, http://rsvpir.org, thousands of participating volunteers have performed more than 1.2 million hours at local non-profit organizations.
