Town plans to switch bus service to allow for transportation
News staff photo by REBECCA LEONARDThe new senior center in Baldwinville may open its doors to Phillipston seniors as well once it’s finished.
Rebecca Leonard
TEMPLETON Walking into the unfinished senior center, you can already feel what an inviting environment it will be to seniors and the community. Luckily for Phillipston residents, they will have the chance to use the facility as well.
“I want to serve the (Phillipston) senior population in the same manner as Templeton’s seniors,” Templeton Council on Aging Director Dianna Morrison said.
The Council on Aging departments of Templeton and Phillipston are merging to provide Phillipston seniors services and transportation that they don’t currently have.
“Currently (Phillipston) is surrounded by towns that are part of the MART network and MART can’t cross over that line,” Ms. Morrison stated.
Right now the residents of Phillipston are part of the Franklin County Transportation Authority. According to Ms. Morrison, in order for the town to gain access to MART buses, a letter must be sent to the Franklin County Transportation Authority, asking to be withdrawn from its network.
Ms. Morrison met with Phillipston selectmen to discuss sending the letter, earlier in July, and she said she believes it’s been sent. She hopes that the process of transportation to and from both towns happens soon, as she gets phone calls daily from residents that don’t have a way to get to doctor’s appointments and grocery stores.
Even younger people who have just graduated from high school have contacted Ms. Morrison because they would love to go to summer classes for college, but can’t attend because transportation isn’t available.
“If there’s something I can do about it, I’m going to move heaven and earth to make sure these people are taken care of,” Ms. Morrison said.
It took the town more than a decade of planning and several years of construction to get where the senior center is today, and the completion of the building is just phase one.
According to Ms. Morrison, they still need to move the food pantry, get the kitchen up and running and complete the downstairs function room.
The process hasn’t phased Ms. Morrison. She is still reaching out as many hands as she can to help out seniors in both towns.
“Our driving force here is to insure that the seniors are able to live with as much dignity and be able to age in place for as long as possible,” Ms. Morrison said.
So how much is Phillipston going to pay for Templeton to provide services to the Phillipston seniors?
ReplyDeleteTempleton Town meeting voted a budget of $95,715 for the Templeton COA.
Has a cost/benefit analysis been performed to capture the total cost of Templeton providing services for Phillipston's seniors?
According to Ms. Morrison, they still need to move the food pantry, get the kitchen up and running and complete the downstairs function room.
ReplyDeleteSo will the Phillipston taxpayers help with this cost? Can they and if this doesn't work out how does the separation of it work. As with the Animal control deal we will have to wonder what happends next.
Templeton people i hear from have reserved thoughts of the center as a whole. How many people will use it and how much extra money from the budget will be needed?
Phillipston wanted nothing to do with a new elementary school or will they also want a part of that too when it's open.
Is the school a District or a town project.