Senior Service Center is debt-free

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PRINCETON — It’s been a long year for Carol Gunberg, director of the Senior Service Center in Princeton.

In July 2006, former director Vicki Kessel was released on charges of mismanagement, and Gunberg, who was a board member, took over the position temporarily.

Gunberg and then-board president John Huff found the Center in debt for “thousands of dollars” to creditors.

On Wednesday, after 10 months of watching every penny, Gunberg was a happy woman.

“We are currently not in debt at all,” she said. “All the past bills are paid, and we are up-to-date on everything. We owe nobody anything, and we feel really good about that.”

While the old debts are paid, Gunberg said money remains tight, meaning she will probably remain as director for longer than she had expected.

“We’ve interviewed some people who are very qualified, except that we cannot offer them the money that would be nice for them to have,” she said. “We’re not yet in a position to have the money that’s necessary to pay them.”

One of the biggest changes seen this year to stem the outflow of money was the Center’s mobile meal service. In November, the Center cut back on the program before making the decision this year to turn it over to the Voluntary Action Center in Sycamore.

Gunberg said reaction to the change was not as negative as she expected.

“People have been very understanding,” she said. “With the cost of gasoline like it is, we would have just been drowning.”

Instead of focusing on the past, Gunberg said she and the staff are concentrating on the Center and the activities here.

“We have really big plans for September to open up a computer class for our seniors,” she said. “We are going to try to do a little line dancing class, and we’re going to start with some crafts again, which we haven’t done for a long time.”

One area that Gunberg hopes doesn’t have to change is the Center’s transportation service.

“I don’t want to cut any of it out because we want to service our people,” she said. “We pick up people when they have a need, almost immediately. We don’t say, ‘Well, you have to make an appointment and we’ll get to you in a day or two.’”

Gunberg said the Center has raised the cost of the trips because of the price of gas and the aging vehicles need a lot of maintenance.

Another change Gunberg has dealt with is the resignation of Huff from the board and his position as president. The position has been filled by former vice president Ed Jones.

“John regretted leaving the board, but he felt family obligations and some responsibilities that he needed to take care of would have to come first, and he could not devote the time to the board and the Center as he should,” Gunberg said.

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