Continuing from its last meeting, the Commission on Aging discussing transportation updates at it June 16 meeting.

Transportation Coordinator Jennifer Faircloth joined the COA for its monthly meeting in Newtown Senior Center to personally discuss the progress she has made since starting the position on May 5.

As outlined, the position would assist in hiring as-needed drivers, designing a plan for a transportation service, and gathering information on local transportation needs.

Director of Human Services Natalie Griffith said she was excited to introduce Faircloth to the COA members and give them a chance to share their insights on local senior transportation needs.

"You guys are living in the community and hearing from friends and neighbors about what their needs are ... which is really important as we design this new transportation pilot," Griffith said.

Faircloth was hired using ARPA funds accepted by State Representative Mitch Bolinsky in July 2024. According to Griffith, the ARPA funds took until April 2025 to make their way from the state and be released for use in Newtown.

"And because of that, she only has until December 2026 to use those funds," Griffith explained. "So it's a much shorter time than we initially thought, but she's really jumped into this."

Transportation Efforts

Faircloth said she focused on four major areas during the past month: policies and procedures, getting a better understanding of how HARTransit and Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) support the community, figuring out the best software for ride scheduling, and hiring a driver.

Faircloth had meetings with the director of Southbury Senior Center and other town policy leaders to "get a feel for what other towns are doing," from charging fees to advanced scheduling. She compiled all of that data and presented it to Griffith, Senior Center Assistants Wendy Devereaux and Nicole Nicholson, and Town of Newtown Social Worker Alexa Griffin.

"So I do have policies and procedure in place, but we said it'll be a moving process ... [of adjustments] during the period of the grant," Faircloth explained.

She and Griffith also met with HARTransit representatives to learn how Newtown residents use its bus service in town.

Faircloth established a contact at HARTransit with Will Frampton, who will be her point person going forward, she said. This means when any seniors have a complaint or issue with the bus service, Faircloth can contact Frampton directly. The two will then work together to sort things out.

"[Frampton's] gonna be great because if a senior is having trouble, they don't have to call and get an operator, I can just contact him and go from there," Faircloth said. "I think that's going to be really useful."

Another of her goals is to eventually secure a driver for the Town, which would fill gaps when HARTransit and FONS cannot provide transportation. Before that, Faircloth said she needs help figuring out what places outside of Newtown people need to get to. She noted Danbury and Southbury as two places local seniors travel to a lot, but wondered if there are people who travel to other locations such as New Haven.

Griffith said ironing out data is going to be incredibly important come next budget year when they go to the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and Legislative Council, as piloting something new could mean a budget ask.

"We have very solid numbers ... that demonstrate there's a need beyond the HART bus and existing voluntary community efforts," Griffith said.

"It's going to be a big puzzle piece, but I don't really know what the demand will be at this point," Faircloth explained.

As for software, Faircloth said the program they use in the senior center — MySeniorCenter — has been working on a transportation component for years. Faircloth can purchase an iPad for each van that will be connected to the data in MySeniorCenter.

"So I will have everybody's contact information. When they call to schedule a ride, I can type it on the computer, and the software will use history data from Google Maps [to observe traffic] ... and plan the route," Faircloth said.

The driver aspect is the hardest of the four, she said, as a driver must have a special passenger endorsement on their license to operate the van. Since the endorsement has proven to be an obstacle, as none of the resumes they received have it, Faircloth said they are discussing whether to use some of the grant money to help people obtain it.

Awards, Poster Campaign

Griffith shared that Newtown Senior Center and the Town of Newtown recently received two awards. Western Connecticut Area Agency on Aging (WCAAA) awarded the senior center for recently receiving distinction as a Focal Point.

Focal Points are places across the country that support older adults by simplifying access to services and strengthening the local service delivery system. The designation, Griffith said, streamlines areas for people in need to foster connections and reflects the senior center's mission to support older adults in the community.

Newtown Senior Center's distinction lasts from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028.

The Town of Newtown received the Connecticut Age Well Collaborative Wellspring Award for fostering community and inclusivity for every age and ability in Connecticut.

Griffith said thiat award celebrates the Town's work toward disrupting ageism and ableism, embracing the spirit of community, and creating long-term positive impacts on the well being of local residents.

Director of Economic and Community Development John Voket accepted the award at New Britain Museum of Art on June 11.

The work, Griffith explained, began with the Daring Dialogue effort with Connecticut Age Well Collaborative, a statewide cross-sector initiative that fosters aging, dementia, and disability-inclusive communities.

Griffith said she, Voket, and Griffin lead Daring Dialogues to break through the stigma of ageism and ableism. It has since launched into their Fellowship program, which Griffith said will be unveiled through the Age Well poster campaign in the fall.

The Focal Point Award and Wellspring Award will be displayed in Newtown Senior Center and Newtown Municipal Center, respectively.

From there, Griffith continued discussing the poster campaign. It will showcase active Newtown seniors "doing things they love in the community," whether shoveling mulch in their backyard to running a Parkinson's support group.

"It's just some really great shots of people doing what they love," Griffith explained. "So keep a look out because I think that's going to be really great."

Senior Center Open House

Griffith also encouraged people to attend Newtown Senior Center's open house on Friday, July 11, from 3-6 pm.

The event is free and open to all, with Griffith adding it gives people a chance to enjoy light refreshments, talk to senior center members, and learn about the facility's educational and recreational offerings.

Attendees can also enjoy tours of the facility, a music and dance class demonstration, a discussion with an exercise instructor about the senior center's health and wellness classes, scoops of Ferris Acres Creamery ice cream on the patio, and samples of the lunch program courtesy of Nick's Catering.

"We're really hoping to bolster a big membership and hit record numbers [at the senior center] this year, so we're hoping to kick that off in a big way," Griffith said.

She invited the COA members to attend the event and talk with attendees about what resources are available for seniors in the community and at the senior center.

=====

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.