CONWAY — The Selectboard began discussing the options it has for offering the town’s older residents access to a senior center and the resources it can provide during its Tuesday meeting.
The discussion began with a letter to the Selectboard from resident Lynne Hanley, which asked if the board would consider entering into an agreement with the Senior Center of Shelburne Falls “since the numbers of seniors in Conway is burgeoning and Conway has no senior center.”
Selectboard member Phil Kantor said the South County Senior Center in South Deerfield currently provides meals for five Conway seniors, and that the director there has also approached him in the past about Conway joining the Deerfield Council on Aging.
Kantor later pointed out that for some Conway residents, the senior center in Shelburne Falls is closer than the senior center in South Deerfield, while for others, the opposite is true.
“It is true that geographically, for our town, something like this might make sense where (we) divide by the river — half the town goes in one direction, half goes in the other,” he said.
Selectboard Chair Bob Armstrong supported the concept of a regional approach, “especially in a town like Conway where we don’t have a dedicated senior center.”
Erica Goleman, also a member of the Selectboard, said she would want to first consult with Pat Lynch, chair of the Conway Council on Aging.
“She’s a really good resource in this area,” she said.
Town Administrator Tom Hutcheson said he will reach out to Lynch and see if she is available to be added to an agenda as early as the meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday.
“I know it’s come up in the past,” he said, “so I’m sure she has a lot to say about it.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne