LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Board of Selectmen will reconsider its decision to cut back the Council on Aging director's hours.

 

Two weeks ago, the board opted to move the position back to a part-time job after feeling the town wasn't getting enough bang for its buck. Voters at town meeting had approved an increase in hours earlier this year. Director Lorna Gayle had been moved to full time a little over six months ago with money left in the prior year's budget and voters confirmed that move at town meeting.

 

On Monday, Gayle and others involved with the Council on Aging presented a case to the Board of Selectmen that the program is in fact growing and the additional hours are needed. The Selectmen then asked Gayle to spend the next two weeks documenting her workloads to give the board a better understanding of what is needed. Then, the Selectmen will consider re-instating the hours, hiring a second part-timer to take on clerical duties, or keeping the job at part-time.

 

"I've worked hard in the last six months," Gayle told the Selectmen. "I get the feeling you think nothing is going on."

 

The Council on Aging has been growing its offerings in both social services and the recreation. Mark Siegars, who sits on the Council on Aging board of directors, said a number of new programs are being rolled out for the seniors and as more programs are offered, there is more work to be done. 

 

"You'll be shocked at how much time it takes just to do a compliance report to get a free van to help seniors," Siegars said, suggesting that if the board doesn't want a full time director, then there should be at least a part-time administrative assistant to handle clerical work.

 

The Council on Aging is going through somewhat of a reinvigoration, Siegars said. A number of new programs - such as a ukulele class - had been created in recent years and more are being developed. 

 

Siegars said the town just got computer access to the servers for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help connect seniors with food assistance. The organization works with seniors on housing, transportation, and other services.

 

The SNAP program was a part of contention among the Board of Selectmen. The Selectmen hadn't seen much of a demand for the program, which was one of the reasoning behind the expanded hours. But Gayle said there was delays in registering those residents online and only got access two weeks ago - coincidently the same time the Selectmen cut the position.

 

"I couldn't promote something I couldn't provide," she said.

 

Meanwhile, Siegars said many seniors are using the Council on Aging for recreational opportunities. The board is looking to move along a project to make an area of Laston Park age-friendly.

 

Volunteers just completed a project to go through town records for veterans and hope to soon present the documents and information to families. From there, they hope to connect with those seniors with any veterans assistance programs.

 

With all of that going on, Siegars said having one full-time person to oversee all of that would build better trust and relationships with the seniors and avoid duplication of work.

 

"Having a lot of people part-time doesn't accomplish anything," Siegars said.

 

Others added that with the social service part, seniors may feel uncomfortable talking about their hardships with just anyone and having a full-time person will build the relationships needed for those conversations.

 

Resident Ronald Tinkham urged the Selectmen to reinstate the position because that is what the town voted to do.

 

"I strongly believe we should use the budget the community voted to support the seniors," Tinkham said.

 

The Selectmen had also voiced that they wanted to see a director making outreach to the community by knocking on doors and talking to seniors, rather than sending out mailers. Gayle said no Council on Aging in the county has somebody knock on doors because seniors "find it intrusive" and the state discourages that practice. Instead, the organization has other outreach efforts.

 

Nonetheless, Gayle said she is ready to prepare a report to the Selectmen outlining the amount of work that needs to be done and what she can currently do with limited hours. The Selectmen expect to continue the conversation at the next meeting.