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Milford City residents urge aldermen to protect and boost senior center funding
Summary
Residents and senior-center partners urged the Milford City Board of Aldermen to protect and increase funding for the Milford Senior Center during the April 15 public budget hearing, citing health, nutrition and social needs and a petition for added sustainment support.
The Milford City Board of Aldermen heard a steady stream of public testimony on April 15 urging the board to sustain or increase funding for the Milford Senior Center.
Mayor (name not specified) opened the hearing by telling attendees that the proposed budget "didn't cut a dime" from the senior center and encouraged nonprofits and the Commission on Aging to manage funds carefully; he said the commission holds "about $865,000" in an undesignated account but that commission members warned using it could deplete it in three years. The mayor also offered help from his office with fundraising and grant applications.
Residents and program partners described the center as both a health and social hub. Tom Johnson, a Milford City resident, said the center is "an outstanding success story" that helps prevent falls and loneliness and provides meals and classes that many seniors rely on. "The two greatest risks that seniors face are falls and loneliness," he said. Several speakers noted full classes, long parking-lot occupancy and waiting lists for popular programs.
Sally Maglione, RN and nursing faculty at the University of Bridgeport, described a partnership in which nursing students run a weekly blood-pressure clinic at the center and observe that members are more active than hospitalized elderly patients; she said the center’s day program for people with cognitive decline keeps participants at home longer and out of more intensive memory-care settings.
Speakers gave concrete examples of reliance on center services: Marie Hendry, 85½, said she depends on the mini-lunch program and free haircuts; Cheryl Griffin recounted how low-priced items at the center shop allow some seniors to choose food over small purchases. Jane Hebert presented a petition signed by 192 residents asking the board to reconsider a sustainability increase requested by the Milford Council on Aging — specifically, $90,000 for the city grant and $30,000 for the senior nutrition program.
Advocates acknowledged the city's difficult budget year but argued that the senior center’s preventive health programming and social services reduce downstream costs and deserve protection. No formal decision was made; the hearing recessed to continue April 16.
