The following are 11 reasons why I think that the senior population of Douglas County is declining. I am sure that others have different ideas which are just as valid but it's time for us to consider how to restore our senior demographics if we have any hope for an economic recovery in our county.
Vacant Houses: Retirees looking for a place to live will not be attracted to a neighborhood with numerous vacant or abandoned houses, especially if the landscaping and exterior of the buildings have been allowed to deteriorate.
Real Estate Developments: Throughout our county you see unfinished real estate developments where the landscaping has been torn up and the construction has either been stopped or abandoned. These areas with piles of dirt and open ditches are very unattractive to potential residents.
Home Prices: Homes prices in Douglas County continue to decline especially those which are located in FEMA flood plains and those in partially completed real estate developments. No one wants to purchase a home which they know will decline in value in the near future.
Traffic: The traffic on Highway 395 continues to increase primarily due to commercial vehicles. A truck by-pass around Minden and Gardnerville isn't even on the drawing boards. Retirees move to rural areas to escape traffic.
FEMA Flood Plains: FEMA has stated that they will periodically review their flood plain boundaries. FEMA has never reduced the size of any of its flood plains so if you live anywhere in Carson Valley you have a good chance of being declared in one with an additional "tax" (insurance) of about $1,000 per year.
Public Utility Costs: The cost of public provided utilities and services such as water, trash collection and sewage continue to rise at rates higher than the inflation rate. There is no indication that these trends will change. In fact, water rates are predicted to go out of sight in the near future. Remember, most seniors are on fixed incomes.
Senior Attrition: Since our county is not attracting "boomer" retirees, the average age of our seniors keeps rising. Sadly to say, this results in increase in the attrition rate for our seniors. This is the primary reason for the decline in our senior population.
Senior Center: Douglas County has one of the most inadequate senior centers in the western United States. Potential senior residents will often look for the availability of activities which senior centers usually provide before they relocate to a new area.
Senior day care: Douglas County has no senior day care facilities, neither public nor private. This means that a care-giver or relative who must take care of a disabled senior will not be able to work. This usually results in having to relocate the disabled senior out of his or her home and into a nursing home or away from Douglas County.
Senior sports: Douglas County used to have organized sports for seniors including badminton, basketball, volleyball, softball, table tennis, weight lifting, running, bicycling, walking and darts. We also sponsored a very popular Senior Olympics every year. Other counties in Nevada still sponsor these sports which are well-liked by seniors.
Senior education: Public education programs such as data processing, art, auto repair, foreign languages, and writing skills which in the past were readily available to seniors have been sharply cut back. These programs were once provided by the public school system, community colleges and UNR
I know that most local realtors, businessmen and politicians believe that seniors are unaware and could care less about trends in our county but they are a lot more aware and much more knowledgeable than you think.
Paul Lockwood is a Minden resident and a senior activist.
