Changes at the Calendar House Now Permanent

Members of the Calendar House Membership Association came out in force Tuesday night in support of keeping a new operational format that has Executive Director Bob Verderame answering directly to Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback – and their pleas were heard by the town council.

The Southington Town Council voted 8-0 to keep a change implemented one year ago, effectively eliminating the Senior Citizen Commission as an authoritative board and instead using it as an advisory commission.

“The change has proven to be a good one,” said Peter Freeman, president of the Calendar House Membership Association and membership appointment to the advisory board. “Since making the change, it has given the senior center a new life and vitality - a blueprint for 5 to 10 years down the road.”

The new operational format, put into effect on June 11, 2012, as part of a “one year trial phase,” came after members including Freeman came before the council to request the ordinance change. The goal was to eliminate politics and improve efficiency, Councilwoman Cheryl Lounsbury said in 2012.

But former members of the commission including Sandra Micalizzi and Lynn Masci said they fear it was the wrong decision and although the membership association has done a lot to improve the quality of services, asking Brumback to oversee operations is “putting too much on his plate.”

“I want to commend present advisory council with the progress they’ve made; there’s a new spirit and tone,” Masci said. “My concerns are what was lost in the transition. The previous commission uncovered issues and was trying to sort them out to address them all.”

“Not everyone had a clear understanding of the situation, it was difficult to grasp. I was not a senior when I started, nor am I now, but the issues discovered were brought to me by seniors. I did not take them for hearsay. I did research and found definite issues. It brought a volatile atmosphere,” she said.

Masci and Micalizzi each said they agree with having seniors and association members on the commission, but believe the best way to provide oversight is to have an effective cross-section with professionals of all kinds and ages providing input.

Members, however, disagreed and said they believe the new format has already helped the senior center flourish more than it ever has before.

Freeman said with 33 percent of the town’s population eligible for membership now and as much as 41 percent of the town’s population expected to be eligible by 2027, it’s important to keep moving forward with the progressive changes made in the past year and prepare for the future.

Clifford Snow Jr. said with the recent changes, everything is “for the better” and applauded the decision to make the changes permanent.

“The atmosphere is so much better already,” he said. “It works so well for all of us.”

Give us your take: Is the Calendar House operating better with the advisory commission? Tell us in the comments section below.

Make sure to like Southington Patch on Facebook and follow on Twitter for breaking news, daily updates and more!