Council on Aging Addresses Selectmen on COA Goals

Rochester Council on Aging Director Sharon Lally told the Rochester Board of Selectmen on November 28 that the COA Board of Directors has been meeting regularly, planning short- and long-term goals for the senior center and the senior population of Rochester in general.

Lally said the COA has met with an outside consultant to assess the needs of the senior center and the aging population to form short-range plans that can be implemented sooner rather than later, as well as long-range plans that the town can work towards and prepare planning for.

Short-term goals that Lally deemed the “low-hanging fruit,” relatively easy to achieve, include obtaining a one-day liquor license from the state so that occasional functions could be held at the senior center, and perhaps hall rentals could help boost revenue, as well as keep larger COA events in the town instead of outside venues.

“We’re not looking for this to be a routine thing,” said COA volunteer Woody Hartley. “Maybe just a one or two times a year thing…. We just want to let you know that it’s something that we’re working towards,” Hartley told selectmen.

For long-range plans, Lally spoke of expanding the space at the senior center, saying, “We’re bursting at the seams,” calling expansion an immediate need, along with additional parking for the site.

Hartley said he hopes selectmen might consider expanding senior center parking into the adjacent town-owned lot so that seniors and other guests do not have to park so far away, with cars sometimes stretching all the way out to the abutting ball field.

Selectmen Chairman Naida Parker agreed that parking was an issue for patrons, “And walking is especially difficult on uneven surfaces,” she added.

Next, Lally said an ongoing wish for the COA is to establish a senior supportive daycare program to offer social support for seniors with mild dementia who are isolated in the community.

“People who need to get out of their homes and may need some supervision and direction,” Lally said.

Another need for the COA is to increase its support staff, as Lally said she already manages around 150 COA volunteers and feels she may eventually need help with their coordination. She added that there is a definite need for the expansion of hours of operation as well to include evening and weekend activities for seniors who still work during the week.

There was further discussion about transportation funding and an imminent need to purchase a new COA van and perhaps additional drivers as well.

“We are growing and growing,” said Lally.

Hartley and Lally advocated for an increase in allowable senior tax work-off program hours, which is currently capped at $750 or 75 hours of service. According to Lally, the state has increased the allowable amount to $1,500 per senior citizen, and selectmen agreed that now might be the time to increase the cap to $1,000 or 100 hours of service.

“One hundred hours is certainly more amenable than seventy-five,” Hartley said.

“We’re on board with that,” said Selectman Brad Morse.

“We’re sold,” said Parker.

No vote was taken that evening, but the board agreed that action would be taken in the near future to allow the senior tax work-off program increase.

Other long-term goals included research into adding more affordable senior housing to the town, as well as possibly forming an affordable housing trust.

Lally said the current population of seniors in Rochester is 1,435.

“And it’s going to go up again before 2020 when the census is taken,” she said. “We’re a pretty big piece of the population.”

“We are looking toward the future, and we are planning for the future,” said Hartley.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for December 12 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

 

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