Newington Senior and Disabled Center Commission Reviews Budget, ARPA Spending Plan
Other Committee · Meeting of January 27, 2026
CT NEWINGTON — Newington's Senior and Disabled Center Commission reviewed a $283,313 program fund balance and a timeline to spend $90,000 in ARPA funding by December 31, 2026. Director Jamie reported the center submitted its fiscal year 2027 budget request with only minor increases, in line with a town manager directive to hold near zero percent growth, and filed a rare capital improvement request to upgrade the kitchen for in-house meal preparation. The center's ARPA projects — including a $10,000 ADA garden bed renovation, a large-scale outreach campaign targeting Newington's nearly 11,000 older adult residents, new accessible TV lounge furniture, a $7,500-seeded adventure club, and a makerspace conversion of the existing wood shop — are all state- and council-approved and must be completed within the year.
Jamie also flagged a severe flu season, noting Connecticut flu hospitalizations are running 10 times higher than the same period last year, with cases up roughly 186 percent in recent weeks.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 835 words
Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
NEWINGTON — January 27, 2026 — The Newington Senior and Disabled Center Commission met for its monthly meeting, approving minutes from the prior session and receiving a wide-ranging staff report covering finances, programming, federal funding timelines, and public health concerns.
The commission heard that the center's combined program funding across all accounts stands at $283,313 for the current fiscal year, and that the center submitted its town budget request with only minimal increases, in line with a town manager directive to hold as close to zero percent growth as possible.
The Full Story
Director Jamie, the center's director, led the meeting, which included in-person commissioners Shilling Pender and Kathy Sobieski, along with commission member Marcia Lindsay, newly elected Board of Education member Paul Lindsay, and commission clerk Elizabeth. Also participating via Zoom were town council liaisons Kelly DeHas and AJ Taniakos. Commission members Ed Noivo and Lillian Brabner were absent.
Jamie reported that the center finished 2025 with a strong financial position. Individual account balances reported as of December included $15,524 in the coffee shop fund, $53,277 in the gift shop fund, $60,156 in year-to-date membership donations, $34,029 in fitness memberships, $70,677 in general donations, and $37,849 in nutrition program donations, supplemented by a $10,000 grant. The total available program funding across accounts is $283,313.
The center's fiscal year 2027 budget request, submitted the previous Friday, asked for only minor line-item adjustments such as a higher cable bill. Jamie said she also requested continued town council funding for the nutrition program, as provided last year, and submitted a capital improvement plan request to upgrade the center's kitchen for in-house meal preparation — a step she described as a longer-term goal.
"We have about $20,000 of operating funds in our council-allocated account each year, and then the rest of it is salaries for the eight people who work here." [0:00:00] — Jamie, Director, Senior and Disabled Center
The commission heard a detailed update on the center's $90,000 ARPA allocation, which must be fully expended by December 31, 2026. Remaining projects include a giving garden upgrade to ADA-compliant raised garden beds estimated at $10,000, an information outreach campaign targeting Newington's nearly 11,000 residents age 60 and older, new accessible furniture for the TV lounge, launch of an adventure club using the center's dial-ride vehicle for day trips, and a full renovation of the existing wood shop into a makerspace. Seed funding of $7,500 has been allocated for the adventure club. All projects were previously approved by the state unit on aging and the town council.
Jamie also flagged rising illness rates as a concern. Flu hospitalizations in Connecticut are running 10 times higher than the same period last year, with flu cases up approximately 186 percent in recent weeks. She urged members and program participants to stay home if sick and said the center would help coordinate vaccine access and rides.
"Flu is on the rise very severely in Connecticut. The hospitalizations of flu or flu-like illnesses are 10 times what they were this time last year." [0:00:00] — Jamie, Director, Senior and Disabled Center
On the question of a potential federal government shutdown, Jamie said SNAP funding would not be affected because the Department of Agriculture was fully funded through the end of the federal fiscal year when the government reopened in November.
The commission discussed a draft policy to address no-show participants at the center's lunch program, where a suggested threshold of three unexplained no-shows within a defined period could result in a temporary suspension from the lunch program. Jamie noted staff are already reaching out individually to habitual no-shows. Members also raised the possibility of automated reminder calls to reduce unintentional absences, and the idea was favorably received for further exploration with the IT department.
The center's 40th anniversary celebration concluded informally when state representatives stopped by unannounced and presented a proclamation, accepted by program coordinator Barbara Wilmer in the director's absence. A photo is expected to be posted.
The next meeting of the Senior and Disabled Center Commission is scheduled for February 4, 2026, at 6 p.m.
Why It Matters
The center serves roughly 1,800 members from a population of nearly 11,000 Newington residents age 60 and older — close to a third of the town's population. Its thin operating budget, just $20,000 in council-allocated program funds annually, means the center depends heavily on donations and self-generated revenue to function. The $283,313 in total program funding currently on hand keeps operations stable through June 30, 2026, but the center faces a hard federal deadline of December 31, 2026, to expend its $90,000 ARPA allocation across five approved projects. The capital improvement request for a kitchen upgrade, if approved by the town council in mid-April, would move the center closer to in-house meal preparation and reduce reliance on restaurant partners for its nutrition program.
Key Motions & Votes
- Vote: Approval of minutes from the prior meeting Tally: Approved unanimously
Source
Newington's community access TV: Senior and Disabled Center Commission meeting, January 27, 2026