Mansfield Commission on Aging finalizes long-range plan

Transportation for seniors is one of the priorities underscored by the Mansfield Commission on Aging.

With the town council looking for ways to help make a proposed assisted living facility a reality, the Mansfield Commis­sion on Aging sees this as a chance to address one of its top priorities.

Commission Chair Carol Pellegrine said an assisted-living complex and more wellness services at the town’s senior/wellness center were the top two priorities in the commission’s long-range plan.

The plan was approved by the commission during its Feb. 14 meeting.

Those long-range plans, which run though December 2013 and list a number of goals and recommendations, are available on the town’s web site, www.mansfieldct.gov

The plan also includes other goals, such as expanded transportation assistance available to seniors, but Pellegrine said assisted living and more wellness programs could help reduce other needs.

“If we could move these (services) closer to home, that does address transportation needs,” she said.

Pellegrine also said some seniors need trans­portation to places as far as New Haven for medical services, but providing some of those services closer to home would reduce the demand for transportation assistance.

Along with more medical services at the town’s wellness/ senior center, the commis­sion urges continued support for Masonicare, the preferred developer for a senior-living complex.

Masonicare has said the complex could have both assisted and non-assisted units, but ultimately the make-up of such a development would depend on the market at the time.

The town council named Masonicare the preferred developer in 2008 and the developer has a purchase option for a property on Maple Road.

But Masonicare has been unable to move forward with the proposed project, citing a bad economy and issues securing water for any development.

The commission also urged more outreach, communication and education for seniors, including continued usage of the TRIAD pro­gram.

According to the National Association of Triads, any town can form a local Triad by uniting law enforcement and other public safety agencies to work with seniors.

Pellegrine said the council already passed one of the commission’s more recent recommendations last month when it approved adding senior center fees to those eligible for waivers.

She also said the senior center and other senior services will continue to see an increased demand as more Baby Boomers reach retirement age, increasing the town’s senior population.

Posted 3-13-2011

6 towns qualify for emergency aid

file photo by Marie Brennan

While Windham County was shut out, six area towns in Tolland County and two in New London County have been given the “go ahead” by federal officials to seek federal assistance for snow remov­al costs associated with Jan. 12′s snowfall.

Coventry, Mansfield, Hebron, Columbia, Willington and Ando­ver, all in Tolland County, still need to get official approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency which will review the information presented to them from each town and ask questions if any arise.

New London County towns, in­cluding Franklin and Lebanon, also need official approval.

Both counties were approved to apply for FEMA assistance by President Obama at Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s request in connection with the Jan. 12 snowstorm.

Connecticut Department of Emer­gency Management and Homeland Security spokesman Scott Devico said none of those towns has for­mally applied for FEMA assis­tance, but the agency did review those community’s cost figures.

“The numbers were given to us to get an idea,” Devico said Friday.

Devico said Windham and Mid­dlesex counties were not approved to apply because snowfall Jan. 12 did not meet required thresholds.

Town officials in Windham County – which includes Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Scotland and Windham – have pending appeals through FEMA to garner permis­sion to seek federal funds.

In order to get FEMA aid, towns would need to have “record snow­fall” for a given storm, Devico said.

Devico said DEMHS is working to get Windham County included.

If approved, each town will receive 75 percent of the cost of snow removal for the storm through FEMA.

Local and state government may pay for the remaining 25 percent of the cost.

The funds would cover the ov­er time, equipment and supply expenses for the storm, which started late the evening of Jan. 11 and continued to Jan. 12.

When all was done, snowfall totals approached as high as 30 inches in the state, with 2 feet a common figure locally.

Devico said, if the applications are approved, towns would get the money “as quickly as possible.”

Coventry Town Manager John Elsesser said the federal funding would go into Coventry’s unantici­pated revenue line item. He antici­pates the funds will be awarded by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Coventry Town Finance Director Beth Bauer said the town has spent $304,277 on snow removal so far this winter, with $40,000 spent on the Jan. 12 storm alone.

Originally, $ 238,500 was set aside for snow removal in the 2010-11 budget for Coventry.

Bauer said she was not con­cerned about the snow removal budget for the rest of the year as spring fast approaches.

“We should be OK for the year,” Bauer said.

When it applies, Andover will seek $20,000 for the Jan. 12 snow­storm, during which the town saw 27 inches of snow.

The town’s snow removal budget is divided up into two line items: overtime and materials.

Combining the two line items, the town has set aside $97,400 for snow removal.

At this point, Andover First Selectman Robert Burbank said the town has spent $26,000 of the overtime budget, which has $1,000 remaining.

He added the town has spent much of the maintenance account, which covers repairs of public works equipment.

So far, $12,419 of this account had been spent, with more bills to be paid soon, Burbank said. He said $13,000 had been set aside in the account for this year.

“There were a lot of breakdowns to vehicles in the winter,” Burbank said. “One truck was so bad, we had to park it and had to use a spare.” Burbank said if the town got FEMA money, the funds would be placed in the town maintenance account.

Mansfield Emergency Manage­ment Coordinator John Jackman, also the Mansfield fire marshal, said this morning the Jan. 12 snow­storm brought as much as 18.5 inches to some parts of Mansfield.

This storm cost the town “some­where in the vicinity” of $40,000, Jackman said.

Jackman said any assistance they could get would help. “It will help in terms of the overall budget.” Jackman said the town does not have a specific line item in its bud­get for snow removal, but equip­ment, overtime and other snow-­related expenses are funded out of the public works budget.

Posted 3-13-2011