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Blackstone senior-center board hears update on new activities hire, programs and fundraisers
Summary
At its Oct. 3 meeting, the Town of Blackstone senior-center council accepted minutes, heard a director's report introducing new activities coordinator Kim Coffey and a slate of classes and events, and reviewed upcoming fundraisers and training dates; no policy votes were taken.
The Town of Blackstone senior-center council met Oct. 3 and accepted the minutes before hearing an extended director's report on new staff, programs and events.
Senior Center Director reported that the center's new nutrition and activities coordinator, Kim Coffey, started on Monday and brings experience from Maples in Wrentham and certification as an activities coordinator. "She's a wonderful girl with a pleasant disposition, a lot of energy, a lot of ideas, and a good skill set," the Director said, and invited members to introduce themselves downstairs after the meeting.
The director described several new and returning offerings: beginner and intermediate line-dancing classes (averaging about five to six participants), a tap-dancing class (about five attendees so far), a Christmas choir led by Kayla, and a radio-theater performance set for Monday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. The center will move that performance downstairs because Oct. 21 is a voting day for the main meeting room.
Staff reported an AARP grant secured by the recreation department to install raised garden beds in the fenced area between the senior center and ball fields; the project team is seeking community members willing to take individual plots to maintain and grow produce next spring. The director said Celeste is coordinating the project and clarified volunteers need not be regular senior-center attendees.
Nutrition services were discussed after members said Encore, the outside caterer that provides congregate meals, recently increased prices. The director said the new nutrition coordinator will pursue safe-serve certification so the center can test in-house meal preparation and solicit senior feedback. The director also said the town is reviewing a contract with a podiatry provider that serves other senior centers and nursing homes before moving forward.
Friends group fundraising was detailed: a Texas Roadhouse fundraiser is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23 (3 p.m.—6 p.m., corporate flyer required), a November calendar raffle will be sold at Dean Bank, and a raffle is underway for two Buffalo Bills game tickets (game and parking) in January. The senior prom is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, with student volunteers handling decorations, music and refreshments; the friends group will cover refreshments where grants cannot.
Members raised operational items: transportation punctuality and scheduling concerns were highlighted by Ed (a council member), who urged riders to be ready at assigned pickup times and to call Dennis for scheduling to help drivers plan routes. The director reiterated that multiple pickups and school-bus traffic can affect timing.
Health and community-service notices included two flu clinics (Oct. 15, 9—11 a.m.; Oct. 22, 4—6 p.m.), a therapy-dog visit to a grief class on Thursday, Oct. 10, and a veterans' breakfast on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. at Divine Mercy Church; the director said Vietnam veterans will receive commemorative pins. The director also said the center will receive day-old bread and pastries from the Bellingham Stop & Shop every Wednesday and will continue its pop-up food pantry.
Members discussed record-keeping and minutes distribution; the group agreed emailed minutes are preferred so town staff can post them to the municipal website. The chair reminded members about Open Meeting Law materials and training; the transcript records both Oct. 26 and Oct. 22 when speakers discussed dates for training and Zoom registration, creating ambiguity about which date is the official session.
A motion to adjourn carried and the council scheduled its next meeting for Thursday, Nov. 7. The transcript records the votes as "Aye" but does not include a complete roll-call tally for either the minutes approval or adjournment.
The meeting included no formal ordinance votes or policy adoptions; most items were informational or logistical updates and several tasks (contract review, volunteer recruitment for the garden) were described as work for staff to pursue.
