News

West Newbury rejects merging elder services with Merrimac

By Jennifer Solis
correspondent
Published: July 13, 2009

WEST NEWBURY — Selectmen have unanimously rejected a proposed plan to merge elder services with the town of Merrimac.

The vote, which came during a regular board meeting Wednesday, received a round of applause and several cries of "thank you" from the handful of seniors in attendance.

It marks the end of an investigation into the possibility of regionalizing the Councils on Aging between the two towns that was initially launched several months ago. Selectmen considered the move as part of a larger effort to find cost efficiencies that might offset shortfalls in this year's budget due to less-than-anticipated aid from the state.

Town leaders hoped the new coalition would save West Newbury $15,000 and Merrimac $5,000, while offering seniors opportunities for expanded programming, services and friendships between the two towns.

But West Newbury's COA Board of Directors voted 11-0 against the plan, arguing instead for a more fully developed program for seniors locally. Members had indicated they would all resign if the proposed regionalization was adopted.

"I just see the writing on the wall," said selectmen Chairman Glenn Kemper. "Why keep this population in flux? It's just upsetting too many people."

Kemper quickly added that he didn't regret investigating the idea, saying, "we need to make sure we leave no stone unturned."

Selectmen were scheduled to meet with Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins on Friday to discuss the potential benefits of regionalizing some public safety services.

There are currently 504 residents over 65 years in town. Of the 75 most active members of the Council on Aging, only five indicated they would participate in activities and events held at the Senior Center in Merrimac, noted COA board member Dick Preble. He questioned the wisdom of committing to pay an annual $45,000 assessment fee to Merrimac if so few seniors would actually benefit.

Some 40 residents already regularly attend programs and events offered by the Merrimac COA. Those seniors supported the merger.

Preble's colleague on the board, George Allen, said casual conversations "over coffee" he's had with Merrimac seniors indicate they don't wish to share their senior center with West Newbury.

"I don't see anyone begging for us to come over there," he said.

But Finance Director Tracy Blais responded that the Merrimac COA was "very welcoming" and voted unanimously in favor of the coalition. Merrimac's COA director and Board of Selectmen also endorsed the idea.

Former West Newbury Selectman John McGrath, who is a senior, calculated that the town has historically spent around $115 yearly on elder services for each person over 65 years.

"Viewed as a service, this is a very low per capita cost for a group that already has a low impact on the town's budget," he said. McGrath said calculating the number of seniors who participate in daily or special events at the senior center does not adequately underscore its value to the community.

"There are many important services being delivered one-by-one to individuals in need who may never have been in the 1910 Building senior center," he said. Many people, McGrath noted, only become active in the program after a life-altering event — such as "an illness or injury, financial difficulty and especially the loss of a spouse. The availability of a local, hometown support system is particularly important to this latter group. In this sense, the senior center is much more than a recreational activity. You all can imagine the safety net this senior service provides."

McGrath contends that while the state's push to regionalize services is "probably a good trend" for town functions such as public works and public safety, "it is not applicable to an organic endeavor such as senior services which is between individuals, friends, neighbors and extended families."

"West Newbury is one of the wealthiest towns in Massachusetts. We can and must continue to improve and expand — not cut — caring for this vulnerable and valuable population," said McGrath.