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Age Friendly committee will return in February with options after community survey, committee says
Summary
The Age Friendly Frenchtown Committee reported roughly 200 survey responses and extensive outreach, and said a state grant ends July 2026; the committee will present priority options and early-action steps to council in February and seek endorsement ahead of a June adoption.
The Age Friendly Frenchtown Committee told the borough council it has gathered broad local input and will return in February with recommended priorities and early actions for making Frenchtown more age-friendly.
"That grant ends in July of 2026," said Jean Herb, a member of the Age Friendly Frenchtown Committee, noting the committee's work is supported by a Department of Human Services grant that cannot be extended. Herb said the committee expects about 200 survey responses — a majority from residents aged 60 and older — and conducted roughly 15 interviews with local business and civic leaders plus a town-hall meeting attended by about 35 people.
The committee outlined three deliverables it will bring to the council: a summary of the biggest challenges identified by residents, a set of potential priority actions, and a menu of "early actions" that could begin immediately if the council approves reconfiguring existing grant funds or applying for additional funding. Herb said early actions could include the borough funding a part-time coordinator to bring services into town or asking the planner to draft ordinance language to ease accessibility modifications for older homeowners.
Council members pressed the committee on whether the action plan will require formal council endorsement or an ordinance. "Some of the actions won't even be things that are within the council," Herb said, adding that other items — such as a dedicated senior parking space or changes that affect land use — may require ordinances or council action. Members asked the committee to provide an outline and the planned PowerPoint in advance of the February meeting.
Herb also described specific barriers: older housing stock that makes home modifications difficult under current approval processes, residents' sense of social isolation, and the absence of a local contact list or newsletter for older residents. The committee suggested exploring philanthropic support — including a possible application to a foundation for a coordinator position — and tapping regional providers such as the YMCA's Cross River Crossing program for programming if space and funding can be arranged.
The council thanked the committee for its outreach and asked staff to coordinate meeting logistics. The committee said it will return to present options in February and will ask the council to signal whether the committee's proposed directions merit further work toward a June adoption of an action plan.
