Supporters hoping to see Newtown become Connecticut's first "age-friendly community" are so gung-ho on the idea that they came to the most recent Board of Selectmen meeting with the application completed and in need of nothing more than a signature from First Selectman Pat Llodra to get the process moving.

And while selectmen seemed supportive of the idea, they asked organizers of the effort to hold tight for two weeks while the application and information about the AARP-sponsored program is thoroughly reviewed.

Presenting on behalf of the effort at the November 7 meeting were John Boccuzzi, Sr, who is chairman of a new community support and advocacy group called Friends of Newtown Seniors, along with Social Services Director Ann LoBosco.

Ms LoBosco explained to selectmen that based on research she has reviewed from AARP, Connecticut residents over age 40 generally want to stay in the state, and the AARP "age-friendly" concept helps support that goal.

"I'm getting calls regularly from children for help to keep their parents in Newtown," she added.

The AARP initiative is nationwide, Mr Boccuzzi said, but so far there are none in Connecticut.

"We hope Newtown can be the first," Mr Boccuzzi said, adding that he feels it could provide an important economic advantage for Newtown if enacted. "If I was relocating and looking, I would think being an age-friendly community [designation] would be an attraction."

Referring to AARP's 2014 "Road to Livability" survey of respondents 40 and older, Mr Boccuzzi said the vast majority feel it is important to remain in place in Connecticut.

"However, many people are leaving," he said, noting the big driver is economics and cost of living, with the highest priority being taxes.

"If you bring up taxes in town, it gets pretty ugly pretty fast," he said.

Besides asking for support from selectmen on the application, Mr Boccuzzi said his group is hosting a November 29 workshop with AARP to discuss age-friendly communities and livability factors in Newtown. Referring to qualifying criteria in the application, Mr Boccuzzi pointed out that with developments at Fairfield Hills, sidewalk projects, affordable housing expansion, and senior tax benefits, Newtown is already doing many of the things that qualify it as an age-friendly community.

Selectman Herb Rosenthal observed that if taxes are the greatest concern, local officials do not have much control because under current state policies, the only way municipalities can generate revenue is through property taxes.

Mrs Llodra also noted that Newtown has been addressing tax mitigation for seniors for 20 years. Newtown's current senior tax relief program, allocated this year at $1.65 million in the town's operating budget, is currently the second most generous in the state as far as the total amount of distributions is concerned.

The first selectmen recognized that it would be wonderful to brand Newtown as an official age-friendly community, saying it would mean "identifying Newtown in a favorable light."

According to the organization's website, the AARP network of age-friendly communities encourages states, cities, towns, and rural areas to prepare for the rapid aging of the US population by paying increased attention to the environmental, economic, and social factors that influence the health and well-being of older adults. The age-friendly communities network was launched in April 2012 and operates under the auspices of the World Health Organization's Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Program.

According to AARP, well-designed, livable communities promote health and sustain economic growth, and they make for happier, healthier residents - of all ages. Across the US, more than three dozen communities representing more than a dozen states are enrolled in the AARP network of age-friendly communities.

"The application is completed," Mr Boccuzzi told selectmen, "we just need your signature."

Selectman Will Rodgers encouraged Mr Boccuzzi to distribute the application to selectmen so they could discuss and act on it at their next meeting.

"The more we know, the more intelligently we can talk about the prospect and opportunity," Mrs Llodra said.