Chatham Council On Aging Settles Into Temporary Quarters

CHATHAM – It didn’t take long for the council on aging staff to settle into its temporary quarters at the community center last summer. In fact, it almost seemed like a homecoming.
 It’s actually the first time that the community services department — which includes the COA, recreation and beaches departments — have been under a single roof. And concerns about conflicts with community center programs, especially over the busy summer, didn’t materialize.
 “Everyone is so welcoming and patient and kind,” said Director of Community Services Leah LaCross. While there were challenges, “we didn’t have any complaints, really.”
 That goes both for the staff and for the seniors who take part in COA programs. While the agency’s Center for Active Living on Stepping Stones Road is being renovated, both the COA offices and programs shifted to the community center. Concerns about potential scheduling conflicts didn’t materialize, and seniors enjoyed mixing with the many young people who use the community center, LaCross said. 
 “The kids are so polite,” she said, holding doors open for seniors and helping them find their way around the building. It was especially fun to be around the summer recreation program.
 “It was awesome,” LaCross said. “We really enjoyed having the kids around.”
 Once the CFAL building closed in June for the $5.2 million renovation project, the COA staff moved into a large trailer at the community center. With four offices, a conference area and storage for medical equipment, “it’s a tight squeeze,” LaCross said. A corner of the community center lobby was set aside for a COA “front desk” where seniors can check in and get information about programs and their locations.
 One of the major concerns had been for the Ryder’s Cove Respite senior day program. Participants don’t always adjust well to change, and the staff faced challenges with less convenient kitchen facilities and getting seniors to the club room on the second floor of the building, where the program is now held. But the room is “bright and sunny” and has plenty of space for the group, LaCross said. 
 “We tried to set the room up and make things as familiar as possible,” said program director Josephine Fennell. “I think [participants] adjusted better than we did. They settled in very quickly. The integration worked very well.”
 Most seniors were already familiar with the community center; many of its exercise programs were previously held there, LaCross noted, and many attend other programs at the facility. Some programs were relocated to other facilities. The monthly birthday bashes are being held at the VFW on George Ryder Road. “They love it over there,” LaCross commented. The town’s SHINE coordinators, who help enroll residents in Medicare and other programs, are seeing people at the sticker office at the annex, and AARP tax consultants are working out of the lower level of the town offices. The weekly “Healthy Meals in Motion” food distribution moved to the public works department on Crowell Road.
 “We had a year and a half to plan,” LaCross said. All of the logistics were meticulously worked out, and the planning paid off. “We continue to do the work we’re doing, providing the services.
“Everybody has gone above and beyond to make it a pleasant experience,” she added.
 She’s toured the gutted interior of the CFAL building and is excited about the prospects for the renovated and expanded space. She said the project is on schedule for completion next summer, and the COA will likely move back sometime in July or August.