Request to divert Senior Needs Funding rejected
Background note :Voters approved Article 13 of the 2008 Moultonborough Town Warrant as follows:
“To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate the sum of Three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) for the Senior Needs Committee to use for seniors’ program expenses and activities.”
(By Petition) (Not Recommended by Selectmen 4-1)
At the last Selectmen's meeting a proposal was made to divert these funds to help support rising fuel costs and expenses for Meals on-Wheels. The existence, mission and leadership of the SNC has been on the Selectmen's table for quite some time with no decisions apparently imminent. Concerned seniors have gone ahead and formed their own private group to keep moving forward until this matter is resolved. MCA
The following is a comparison of the Selectmen's minutes versus the article in the Meredith News to further clarify this issue. It is followed by the Meredith News article.
Clarification to the June 12th minutes
In comparing the minutes of the June 12th, 2008 Selectmen’s meeting with the article published June 19, 2008 in the Meredith News, there are a number of areas that require clarification.
- As per the Meredith News Article “Town Administrator Carter Terenzini cautioned the board against following McRae’s suggestion explaining that the funds were already earmarked for the printing expenses of creating an updated Senior Needs Committee brochure of senior services in Moultonboro.” This does not appear anywhere in the selectmen’s minutes.
- There is no mention anywhere of Selectmen Charest’s comment that Meals on-Wheels is concerned due to the rising cost of fuel and that they ( MO-W) would “ rather see us look as a board on any ways to do it. A scholarship probably would be the best way to go.”
- Nor is there any mention of Selectman Betsey Patten mentioning that although the money in Article 13 was earmarked for the use of the Senior Needs Committee, the board could investigate other methods of helping the Meals-on- Wheels program out.
- Finally, in regard to the first clarification above, it would appear that Carter’s response to report back to the Selectmen within four weeks was not to address the intent of Article 13 , but to seek other methods to help the meals on-wheels program.
SARAH SCHMIDT
The Meredith News June 19th, 2008
MOULTONBORO — The Board of Selectmen will be considering different avenues in which to help out the Meals on Wheels program, after an unsuccessful attempt to use funds for the Senior Needs Committee for this purpose. Moultonboro resident John McRae proposed that the board use the funds from Article 13, adopted at this year’s Town Meeting. Article 13 allows for $3,000 to be set aside for the expansion and promotion of the Senior Needs Committee in Moultonboro.
The funds should instead be used for helping the Moultonboro Meals-on- Wheels program with gas reimbursement for volunteer drivers and food costs, McRae said. With rising prices in gas and food, Meals on- Wheels Director Donna Grow said in an interview last week that the program is having a harder time finding volunteers to drive, and that the cost of food has gone up 25 percent. Town Administrator Carter Terenzini cautioned the board against following
McRae’s suggestion,….
explaining that the funds were already earmarked for the printing expenses of creating an updated Senior Needs Committee brochure of senior services in Moultonboro. “I met with Donna Grow,” said Selectman Ed Charest. “She’s concerned. Seniors spend money on gas, and they don’t come to congregate meals. She’d rather see us look as a board on any ways to do it. A scholarship probably would be the best way to go.” Senior Needs Committee member Joanne Farnham expressed relief that the selectmen did not seem inclined to give the funding from Article 13 to the Mealson- Wheels program. The funding instead will be used to promote “things that benefit seniors, not reimburse gasoline.” McRae countered that Meals-on-Wheels was a senior activity, and Farnham said that the group had been stationary for the last 12 years, and was looking for things that seniors would like to do. “I feel if this money is given to them for gas, then I don’t know why I bothered putting up the article,” said Farnham. “There’s been a lot of talk, but I took the bull by the horns and have been with them (the Senior Needs Committee).” Selectman Betsey Patten said that although the money
in Article 13 was earmarked for the use of the Senior Needs Committee, the board could investigate other methods of helping the Meals-on- Wheels program out. Terenzini said that he would investigate and report back to the selectmen within four weeks. Though a small stipend from the AARP exists for mileage, that amount hasn’t kept pace with the price of fuel, Grow said. Add to that the fact that the program sometimes has a hard time finding drivers to make the Monday-Thursday runs. The program also had a slight complication this winter, with the amount of snow and ice on some driveways making it difficult for the program’s older drivers to make it to the homes. Donations from the seniors themselves have also become a matter of concern in Moultonboro. Attached to the delivered meals is an envelope, suggesting a donation of $2. Despite the fact that the donation is strictly voluntary, Grow said she has seen seniors having a hard
time meeting this.
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