Since 1990, the Town of Parma has been transporting the senior population with their Senior Citizen Express Service. This van transportation utilizes a combination of volunteers, paid part-time staff, and Hilton-Parma Recreation staff when shuttling seniors to and from the Senior Nutrition Center for meals and social opportunities, and to area plazas for groceries, banking, and activities such as the Out-to-Lunch Bunch. Beginning in March, a new vehicle will be introduced into the community which will ensure the continuation of this valuable service. The transport vehicle is a Ford E-450 commercial bus designed and built by Shepard Bros. Inc. of Canandaigua. This vehicle will be equipped to seat fourteen passengers, has an installed accessibility lift, wheelchair patron transport capabilities, and many other amenities associated with transporting seniors. Senior Citizen Program Specialist Tracy LaFountain, who coordinates the Express transportation, views this new vehicle as an important component for reaching out to seniors. "During past years, there have been times when our vehicle would not accommodate those individuals with limited physical capabilities. For someone who depends on the town for transportation to our senior offerings, not being able to utilize this service is truly devasting. The design of the new vehicle is a precious commitment toward our senior population," said LaFountain. Recognized geographically as the third largest town in Monroe County, Parma has a higher percentage of seniors (20 percentage) than any of the towns that border its forty-two square miles. The size of the rural community and the town's commitment to fund a Nutrition program and its health and social opportunities were factors in purchasing this transport vehicle, according to officials. |
