Further updates on the fees for non-residents who want to participate in health and wellness classes, information from a regional meeting with surrounding senior centers, and preparation for Newtown Arts Festival served as key agenda points for the Newtown Commission on Aging (COA) meeting June 19.

The meeting was well attended, with 17 people from Newtown, Danbury, Brookfield, and New York attending.

With COA member Lia Levitt joining virtually, Commission Chair Anne Rothstein opened up the floor for public comments. A number of those attending appeared ready to be heard, specifically regarding a newly initiated $4 wellness fee that non-Newtown residents will pay as of July 1 in order to participate in health and wellness/fitness classes at the senior center.

Kathryn Casey of Carmel, N.Y., opened the comments, saying she joined the center about ten years ago.

“I’m not a gym person, and I found I really enjoyed what I was doing, which was dancing,” she told the commissioners. “I think that promotes good health for senior citizens, and a lot of them are stay-at-homes because they can’t afford other things.”

While raising funds will not affect her, she said, “it will affect people who are on a really set income.”

Casey travels to Newtown Senior Center, as well as Southbury and Danbury, she added, because she follows the fitness instructor.

“I pay a membership fee, and usually the classes are either for nothing, or maybe $2” at other locations, she continued. “I just think it’s unfair to the people who can’t do what I do and I think that as seniors, they’ve given their life to a lot of things, and you’re curtailing their health.”

Pat Ellul, a member of the senior center and a former Newtown resident now living in Danbury, said she feels she and other out-of-towners were “discriminated” against by the new fee. Ellul also wondered why there was no explanation within the recent newsletter announcement concerning the upcoming change. She also said she “started a petition which many out-of-town members signed,” expressing how “we feel we should have the same rights as all members.”

Ellul also referenced the health benefits of the popular classes, and said the change will “curtail” the health of those who will be unable to continue attending them.

Anne Marie Macey, a Newtown resident and member of the senior center for 22 years, said that while she understands the point of view of out-of-town residents, members of the Newtown community are still paying for the senior center in other ways.

“We pay taxes in this town,” she said. “There is a percentage of every taxpayer in Newtown’s taxes that comes to support the senior center.”

Macey said it is not fair for Newtown residents to have increased taxes that in part support the senior center, when out-of-town residents do not want to pay the fee. She then pointed out that there are other senior centers in the area that welcome non-residents.

“I honestly believe that this is a non-argument,” she said. “If you don’t want to pay the fee, you do have places to go. We’re not casting you out in the cold.”

Margaret Postarada, who recently joined the senior center, said, “we are eligible for programs wherever we are.” Mentioning “eligibility versus entitlement,” Postarada said the eligibility of residents of Newtown “should not be the same as someone from out-of-town.” Non-residents do have the ability to go to the senior center in their own town, she said.

She later pointed out that there are still many events the senior center offers that do not require a fee to attend. People “should go to the directors” if they face hardship paying for memberships, fees, or both, she added.

Danbury resident Ann Boland, who belongs to the senior center there, said the City does not charge annual fees, and she is paying only $2 for certain exercise classes.

“They don’t charge a member fee, just by the class,” Boland said.

Boland said Danbury is a much bigger city compared to Newtown, but then asked the board why they are unable to abolish the out-of-town membership fee, wondering, “where does this money go, just to a couple of teachers? Who came up with the $4?”

Commissioners replied that Newtown officials including First Selectman Dan Rosenthal came up with the $4 wellness fee idea, which helps underwrite programming.

Newtown resident Bev Bennett Schaedler said that while Danbury does not charge for annual fees, she found that the class fees there can add up to much more than the annual membership fee charged by Newtown Senior Center.

“When you take one exercise or yoga class, one per week, for 50 weeks, you have to pay $100,” she said.

Discussion eventually circled back to Ellul, who read a statement made by Claudia Nadewher, one of the fitness instructors for the senior center who was unable to attend the meeting.

In it, Nadewher expressed that “instantly going from $0 to $4 per class will be a hardship on some, and they will have to look for more affordable options.” She cited the importance of physical and mental health for senior citizens, and proposed a compromise of $1 per class, fearing the senior center “might lose many out-of-town memberships, losing money for the center.”

Her statement closed with an urging “to find a happy medium. Let’s keep our seniors active!”

The conversation concluded with Jean Musso of Brookfield expressing her disappointment over going from not paying anything, to the $4 wellness fee.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot of money, and a lot of us are not going to be able to do it,” she said. She acknowledged while the senior center does offer events and classes that are free, such as the lectures and lunch and learn options, “it doesn’t do much to preserve the health and mobility that we have and that we want to keep.”

Rothstein thanked those who spoke, and everyone who was in attendance, before announcing she has been looking for grant money that can be used for “activities at the center.” She expressed hope that the “regional centers might get together and find some money to support people who can’t afford the cost of the classes.

“Right now, because of the budget contingencies on the Town,” she continued, “this was something that the First Selectman and his committee — the finance committee of the town and Legislative Council — had to institute because of the Town budget.”

She also noted that the Town’s mil rate went up due to the budget increase.

“So we’re paying more, and some of that money goes to the senior center,” she said.

Jackson’s Report

Director of Human Services Natalie Jackson announced that Governor Ned Lamont and Aging Disability Services Commissioner Amy Porter recently approved $10 million American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for senior centers, with $9 million going directly to municipalities.

(See “Lamont Announces $10 Million ARP Funds For Connecticut Senior Centers,” June 16, 2023.)

Jackson believes Newtown’s senior center could receive roughly $60,000 from that funding, calculated by “a base allocation of $5,000 and then a remainder allocation calculated by Census data.”

The funds, she said, will go toward “center enhancements and programming, but not staffing.” The funds will be used, she said, “to enhance the delivery of services, to combat the effects of COVID-19 for our seniors.”

Jackson said the decision has been made to increase outdoor space of the senior center to accommodate “outdoor programming, outdoor dining, and socialization.” She said outdoor space was a part of the original plans when constructing the new building, but eventually was cut from the budget.

Jackson cautioned that while the funding is not a “sure thing,” they are looking toward the bidding process and are “hopeful” for the work.

“We really learned when we had to shut down, and then with the gradual reopening, how important our outdoor space was to get people back together. Heaven forbid should we ever find ourselves where we have to do social distancing again, we really want to be prepared to be able to have that available for folks,” she said.

She then told the commissioners about recently being on a call with Michelle Puzzo, executive director of UR Community Cares, and the president of Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS). She briefly reviewed the mission of UR Community Cares, and said Puzzo is interested in attending the next meeting. The commission agreed to add it to the July agenda.

Regional Meeting, Arts Festival, Additional Fees Discussion

Commissioner Claire Theune reflected on a regional COA meeting conducted June 17, which was hosted by Newtown and attended by board members from Bethel, Danbury, and New Fairfield.

A major topic from this meeting was how there are more women than men participating among the combined 1,200-1,900 members from all four senior centers. The hope from all four organizations is “focusing on programs to attract men,” she said.

Another topic covered was funding, with many different funds and grants available for nonprofit organizations. It was also noted that each of the senior centers offers a “very broad range” of different activities, with all in agreement about the need to continue finding ways to expand.

Transportation was also mentioned, with two of the towns continuing to offer FISH services to help transport residents to appointments. One center arranges for its FISH driver to receive a $2 donation per person for each ride. HART bus usage has also increased, it was noted.

The towns proposed to meet again to continue generating ideas for one another on Saturday, September 30, from 10 am to 1 pm, with Newtown again serving as the host.

Returning to the Wellness Fee being introduced, Commissioner LeReine Frampton recalled a similar situation “approximately 20 years ago,” with the $20 versus $25 annual dues for Newtown and non-Newtown residents. The membership fee was a way to raise money to expand programming at the former senior center location, according to Frampton.

“We wanted to increase the number of classes so people could get in,” she said. “It was a choice between [membership fees] or paying $2 every time you wanted to do something.”

Jackson added that membership has nearly tripled from the 300 at the old building, and classes were “getting to the point where residents weren’t able to get in.” With the new building, Jackson acknowledges that they are not the same center anymore and have to adapt, with money going to wellness classes and making sure the center is offering things to engage everyone.

What has never wavered, she said, has been the appreciation Newtown’s senior center members have for out-of-town members.

“It’s a $5 difference, and we know the value our out-of-town folks bring,” she said.

Jackson also noted the discussion to begin the nominal class fee for non-residents began soon after her arrival in May 2019, “but then COVID happened” and that discussion was tabled.

Rothstein said while actively looking for grant money to help solve this problem, she is also actively looking for short term solutions. She also encouraged all at the meeting to send their e-mails to her in order to get the newsletter and be informed on solutions.

“Our job here is to make everyone happy,” she said. Rothstein asked Jackson to begin compiling data on membership and per-class or event fees in Newtown and other regional senior centers.

“We hear what you’re saying, we understand how you feel,” she said, addressing the attendees.

The final piece of old business was participating in the upcoming Arts Festival in September. Friends of Newtown Seniors would like to again share a table with the senior center and the COA in running a table, but it was a concern for Frampton, who said “FONS is a non-Town agency.”

Michael Stern proposed putting signs at the booth to clearly state that they are separate organizations, but in the end, the decision was made to further discuss Arts Festival participation at a later date.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks contributed to this story.

Reporter/intern Owen Brown can be reached at owen@thebee.com.