Phone service restored for Oasis Senior Center

How to help planning in motion

[July 03, 2013]  For many who have been trying to contact the Oasis Senior Center in the last couple of days, they have found that the phone numbers have been inoperable.

Tuesday afternoon, that problem was resolved as service was restored to the original phone numbers for the center. According to Wallace Reifsteck, Oasis board president, those wishing to contact the center can now call 732-6132 or 732-5844 and the call will be redirected to a cellphone where someone will answer or the caller will be able to leave a message.

This is just one tiny step for the Oasis in getting back to a new normal after a fire devastated the senior center at the corner of Pulaski and Kickapoo streets in Lincoln on June 21.

The fire caused extensive damage to the second floor and attic of the building, and considerable water damage to the ground floor, where the center is located.

This past week, after careful inspection, it was discovered that the west wall of the building is currently unstable. Reifsteck commented on this, saying a fence is now around the building to keep the public safe, and a firm has been contracted to come in and see if the west wall can be stabilized.

Reifsteck said because of this, development work inside the Oasis has stopped for the time being.

Before this discovery, Reifsteck said some work had been done inside the building, and they found that not everything on the ground floor was destroyed. One key part of the Oasis history is a large wooden plaque with brass plates on it. Reifsteck said it is a plaque that recognizes all those who have supported the Oasis financially and significantly over the years. The plaque is among the items that were not destroyed, so it will still be there when the Oasis reopens, regardless of when or where that may be.

Looking to the future of the center, Reifsteck said there are going to be needs and opportunities for the community to help, from volunteering for events, to helping with cleanup and monetary needs.

Most immediately, he said, there is a need for volunteers to work at the Oasis Café in Scully Park during the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival. Reifsteck said this is a very important fundraiser for the Oasis on an annual basis, and people will be needed to help assure that the center can proceed with the event this year. Anyone who is willing to give of their time for this event is asked to call the now-working phone numbers and get their name on a list, so the board and its director, Dominic Dalpoas, will know who to count on.

In regard to finding a new home for the center, albeit temporary, Reifsteck said the board is working on getting that done. He noted that regardless of whether the Oasis is able to repair their current building or if they would have to build new, it could take six months to a year.

There have been those who have come forward and offered their space to the Oasis, but Reifsteck said for the Oasis board as well as the board of the party wishing to help, there is a lot to consider when they know it will be for that length of time.

In addition, Reifsteck said new committees are being formed to help assure the future of the Oasis. He said a building fund will be established for the Oasis and a committee that will work solely on fundraising.

Another effort being made is to try to get a temporary office set up for Dalpoas so that the director can resume the daily business operations of the center.

Reifsteck ended by saying that the board and director of the Oasis are very appreciative of those who have offered help and expressed concern over the future of the center. One way or another, the center will return, and the work they do to provide a safe social environment for the members will go on.

[By NILA SMITH]