Northborough Council on Aging survey finds demand for more classes and varied hours as strategic outreach continues

Fran Bast, chairperson of the North Council on Aging, opened the board’s June 9 meeting and presented the committee’s next steps in strategic planning and outreach.

The board heard a report from a Friends representative that the organization now lists 764 members — 347 of whom were reported as from out of town — and has provided $15,049.97 in support this year; an additional $1,100 donation was noted separately. The Friends told the board they declined a request from the North Recreation Association for $7,800 to install nets and stripe two pickleball courts at Melican Middle School, saying the project is outside the Friends’ mission and suggesting Parks & Recreation or the Community Preservation Committee as alternative funding routes.

A staff presenter displayed 16 pages of survey results and summarized participation and preferences. Most survey respondents reported attending the center weekly; the top activities named were educational talks and workshops, exercise classes and Beastro lunches. The presenter reported 126 survey responses; another attendee later cited 146 responses, a discrepancy the board flagged for clarification. The presenter also said email is the preferred channel for notices, a finding members said will guide outreach.

Board members discussed program demand and finances. Several exercise classes are subsidized from the center’s revolving program account; staff said some low‑attendance classes do not fully cover instructor costs and may be restructured or canceled, while popular classes such as chair yoga have been expanded. The board discussed modest fee adjustments (an example proposal cited raising drop‑in fees from $4 to $5) and registration timing changes to make access fairer without excluding low‑income participants. Members also discussed interest in more day trips, noting cost and vehicle availability as constraints.

Staff described an individual case management success: outreach and an expedited housing‑authority status change for an approximately 80‑year‑old person who recently lost a roommate. Staff recommended Alliance at Marie Esther as a possible short‑term placement option while the resident applies for SSI; the report included monthly cost figures and eligibility steps.

Fran Bast and other members cautioned that the board remains in an information‑gathering stage for the strategic plan. They set a summer schedule change: the council will not meet in July and will reconvene on August 11 to continue focus groups and finalize next steps. The board asked volunteers to carry out short, targeted focus‑group conversations with regular activity groups during June and July and to return summarized responses for incorporation into the plan.

The board will attach the full survey and supporting documents to the minutes filed with town hall for public record; members asked staff to resolve the respondent‑count discrepancy before publishing a final summary.