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Westport COA director search advances; grants not awarded and building issues push community-campus planning
Summary
Beverly’s retirement prompted a recruitment process that produced a recommended finalist; the COA reported two unsuccessful SIG grant applications, ongoing repairs (AC pump, downspouts), raised-garden proposals, and progress on a master plan to move activities into the former high school/community campus.
The Council on Aging reported multiple operational and planning items tied to an upcoming leadership change and facility needs. The chair said Beverly, the COA director, will retire at the end of August; the search drew 25 applicants, six interviewees and two finalists, and the board has a recommended candidate to forward to the select board for interview and appointment.
The director’s report (read into the record) said two SIG grant proposals—one for nutrition improvements (raised beds and faucet repairs) and one for senior-center modernization tied to possible use of the former high school—were submitted but not selected in a highly competitive round. "Regrettably, given the high competition demand for SIG funding, your proposal was not selected," the report said. Board members discussed pursuing alternate funding and small, immediately actionable fixes such as adding an exterior water spigot and repairing a condensation pump that had caused ceiling leaks and temporarily suspended exercise classes.
Staff provided operational details: supportive-day census is rebuilding toward an average of about 16 attendees; transportation services delivered 409 rides for 25 individuals (including 69 medical rides) in the reporting period; and outreach staff configuration includes one full-time coordinator and two part-time specialists with responsibilities for Medicare counseling and SNAP coordination.
On facilities and long-term planning, the chair said a code update evaluation for the former high school (branded the 'community campus') found only minor recommendations and concluded that the requested program spaces would be code-compliant for group sizes under roughly 49 people. The board discussed a phased master plan with Brewster Thornton Group Architects to move activities into the campus over time, separating outreach/social services (at Reid Road) from activity and exercise spaces in the high school to improve privacy and programming capacity.
Board members asked staff to continue working with the architect, town administrator and relevant partners to scope costs and timing; several members recommended pursuing collaborations with local groups (land trust, carpentry programs) to reduce near-term costs for projects such as raised beds and repairs.
