Area mobile home park center offers learning options

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June 1, 2012

Area mobile home park center offers learning options

By JOE MAHONEY Staff Writer The Daily Star Fri Jun 01, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

There is nothing fancy about the old trailer that has been converted into a community center at Lantern Hill, a mobile home park home to some of the poorest people in Otsego County.

But, residents of the park and their children said, the trailer has become a focal point for an array of workshops, tutoring sessions, and health and nutrition programs, which have enhanced the quality of life in an otherwise hardscrabble location.

"This place used to have a very bad reputation," acknowledged Marie Arduini, the manager of the complex tucked behind the Walmart on Route 23 in the town of Oneonta. "But we've come a long way here with all the refurbishing we've done. My 81-year-old mother lives here now. If I didn't think this was a great, safe place to be, she wouldn't be here."

Volunteers provided much of the labor that went into fixing up the community center. Some of the workshops have been put on by both current and retired teachers from the Oneonta School District, Riverside Elementary School Principal Melinda Murdock said. Its enrollment of 190 children includes about 40 Lantern Hill kids.

"Transportation is a big issue for families at Lantern Hill, so bringing services directly to them seemed to be the perfect solution," Murdock said. "There are loving families there, and they are doing the best that they can. We want all our families at Riverside to know that we care about them."

All of the programs held so far at the community center have corresponded with the input that people such as Arduini, Murdock and Otsego County Rep. Cathy Rothenberger, D-Oneonta, have received from park residents.

Murdock said one local school staffer taught a class on how to change the oil and spark plug in lawn mowers. There have also been sewing and crocheting classes, parenting workshops and demonstrations of first-aid techniques.

"The community of educators hasn't been specific in providing just help with school work," Murdock said. "They really want to holistically support these families."

Many volunteers who spruced up the trailer, Arduini said, were recruited by Rothenberger, who has raised foster children as well as her own biological children.

Rothenberger said several foster kids she took into her home came from trailer parks.

"I felt there was a stigma attached to that," she said. "Young families can be very fragile and vulnerable, and by working together to build a stronger base of support for them, we can really help them. We need to listen to them and pay attention to their needs to make this work on their behalf."

Also providing support to the community center are Catholic Charities staff in Oneonta and Opportunities for Otsego, an anti-poverty agency.

"We try to take our cues from the residents," said Lynn Gluckert, executive director of Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties. She said families are offered guidance with parenting issues and prenatal counseling is available to women at the community center. Cornell Cooperative Extension has been offering classes on how to cook nutritious meals on a limited budget.

Ann Barlow, a Lantern Hill resident for six years, said the events and workshops staged at the community center are greatly appreciated by park residents.

"The community center was just an awesome idea," she said. "It gives people something to look forward to. And it's helping people who are unable to get help from other sources."

Another use for the community center has been as a distribution point for the food bank run by St. Mary's Church in Oneonta.

"It helps out a lot, because we have a lot of medical bills," said resident Theresa Sprenkle, who works at the nearby Walmart. "My kids are also using the community center for the tutoring."

Arduini said a grand opening will eventually be held for the community center.

"We wanted to get it up and running first," she said. "Any of the activities run at the community center are open to all residents."