"This is only one of many possible options," said Angel Rios, San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services superintendent. "This is not a definitive solution but only one of many options we are exploring."

The option was suggested because of the proximity between the Alma and Gardner centers as well as the fact that the up-to-date Gardner facility is capable of handling a large senior program.

"The challenge is, how do we continue to meet the needs of adults and seniors and at the same time, balancing the budget?" Rios said.

He said the city has identified certain community centers—some in part because of their age and some because of their costs—that would be placed on a "reuse" list. The Alma center is one of them. The department's goal is to look at the places on the list over the next year and a half to focus on finding alternative uses to support those facilities.

"We want to go out to the communities and engage other partners, other providers that can be potential service deliverers," Rios said.

"We are beginning with the end in mind," Marie Alberry-Hawkins, recreation superintendent for the parks department, said. She said they would be working with the community in order to seek a solution to their budget problems.

The seniors will play a large part in this process, she said. "They need to have a say in what's going on. It's their world, they love each of their centers and they have a passion for the people that they are with and the people who serve them."

This news came to no surprise to most residents of the area, said Kevin Christman, chairman of the Greater Gardner Coalition. He said the community has to look at the positions and make sure that in the end, they are not left without staff.

Reymundo Mendez, Gardner Advisory Council vice president, liked the idea. He agreed that the Alma senior center has more seniors enrolled than the Gardner center and that the Gardner center, with its new facilities, would be able to serve more people. "The Alma seniors already come by for the Mexican food twice a week," he said. He said the city just has to work together with the community.

The concern most residents voiced, however, was on the staffing situation. There was a fear that the Alma staff would replace the Gardner staff if the proposed option were to happen. There was also confusion as to what would happen to each center's funding. The county of Santa Clara funds the Alma center while Healthy Neighborhood Foundation funds the Gardner center.

Rios and Alberry-Hawkins have met with both the Alma and Gardner communities at separate meetings to pitch their ideas. Both communities have agreed to choose two to three individuals, both seniors and advisory members, who will serve on a working committee. They will look at both the Gardner/Alma option as well as other options and will attend one to three meetings over two to three months. The committee will come up with a joint recommendation for the project and present it to the community.

"We are working with these two communities first," Rios said. "As we go through the seven to 10 months, this type of thing will become the norm for other community centers and we will start looking at the reuse list. It's a creative, problem-solving approach to a very challenging budget that is community inclusive."

Both Rios and Alberry-Hawkins have a standing item on the agenda for the advisory council so they can report on the progress of the committees to the community.

The projected time for completion of this project is July 1, 2006.