Senior center wins transportation grant; center plans accessible van, coordinator and interior work

Pam (staff member) told the advisory group that the senior center received a transportation grant to buy a handicap-accessible vehicle and to fund a transportation coordinator, and that staff are finalizing paperwork.

The grant will fund one accessible van and a transportation coordinator position, Pam said, and staff hope to operate two morning routes and two afternoon routes to expand pickup and drop-off times for members. “We did receive the, transportation grant for the vehicle. So yep,” Pam said. She added, “we do have the money for a transportation coordinator as well.”

The center plans to use the coordinator to run more routes, extend daily programming hours, and help members enroll in MBTA low-fare ridership. Pam said the coordinator role will be shared between the senior center and public health staff so the position can also assist with MBTA enrollment.

Staff also described planned work on the senior center’s Second Floor. Laura Stockbridge from facilities and center staff toured the space and told the group they will use a city-contracted private firm called House Doctor to do less-invasive renovation work in-house and save money. Pam said plans for the Second Floor will be adjusted to better match how the center expects to use the space; the schedule for starting work was described as “soon,” but no firm start date was given.

On vehicles, Pam said the center currently has two operable vehicles and one inoperable one. The new accessible van will allow staff to reduce the fleet to two vehicles because they lack staff to operate three. Staff said they may repurpose the newer, non-accessible vehicle purchased with AQUA funds and retire the older accessible vehicle that has frequent mechanical issues.

Hiring and language access were major topics. Pam said the center has reposted a vacant position after first-round candidates lacked Spanish-language skills and that she is “extremely committed to getting bilingual staff.” The group also discussed difficulty finding ad-hoc translators; Pam said she had reached out to community contacts and asked members for referrals. A resident offered to contact a former Union Hospital translation manager to help locate translators.

Friends of the Lehi COA provided fundraising updates: the group reported nearly $2,000 in initial March donations and is planning events and a small freezer to support an ice cream social. Friends members said they are recruiting volunteers, preparing 501(c)(3) donation materials and planning nominations and elections in the coming weeks. Tanya (staff) signed a three-year contract to remain in her role, staff said.

Center staff and members raised concerns that popular events sometimes reach capacity before walk-ins can register. Several speakers said they had seen or been told of a small number of attendees turned away from events; center staff committed to improving communication and registration processes. Pam said fire-department capacity limits apply to some events, but she and others said better outreach and clearer registration rules should reduce turnaways.

During the meeting the advisory group voted to hold its May meeting by Zoom and later moved to adjourn. The vote details were recorded as voice votes (ayes) and exact tallies were not specified in the transcript.

Next steps described by staff include signing grant paperwork, finalizing Second Floor plans with facilities and House Doctor, continuing recruitment for bilingual staff and translation services, and using the transportation coordinator to promote MBTA low-fare enrollment for members.