Town passes new rules for senior clubs

Warwick — The town has approved new eligibility guidelines for senior citizen groups that receive funds from the town. Senior clubs that receive town funding must be open to Town of Warwick residents only, according to the new criteria. Non-residents who belong to Warwick clubs as of April 1 will be grandfathered and any former residents who have lived continually in Warwick for 25 years or more are also eligible. But these non-resident members cannot exceed 10 percent of the total club enrollment. Members may only belong to one group, beginning Jan. 1, 2007. This has been an issue at some clubs where dual memberships were common. Ironically, the reason for the dual memberships was that when the clubs were forming years ago, there weren’t enough members to fill them. Now, with the number of seniors growing town-wide, that is certainly not a problem. In order to get town funding, groups must have duly elected officers and by-laws within 45 days of their formation and must maintain a minimum of 40 voting members. The clubs must submit a roster, certified by the club president to the Town Board each year by September 15. Currently, there are five clubs in the town that each receive $6,000 in town funds—Florida, Pine Island, Greenwood Lake, Warwick Seniors and Golden Seniors. In addition, there is a group sponsored by AARP that does not receive funding. The Greenwood Lake senior club has open membership, so numbers are not available. A new group is forming in Florida as well. Vincent Poloniak, the town liaison to seniors, said the Pine Island, Florida, and both Warwick groups have more than 100 members and waiting lists.