Combine Island Senior Centers

Undeniable is the need for cities and towns to manage their funding even more judicially than in the past. The merging of school districts has been on the drawing table for more than 30 yrs. with only reputed cost savings and facing many obstacles. I suggest another more easily accomplished possibility offered by combining services of senior centers. The resulting outcome could offer more community benefits.


Right now our island supports two in Newport, one in Middletown, and one in Portsmouth. All three face financial difficulties. Their mission is to enable seniors to remain in current housing while availing themselves of community assistance- a noble and financially astute plan of benefit to all. Seniors belong in their community in their current housing whenever possible. Specialized group housing is expensive.


Supposing these centers offered one newsletter with one set of activities (different places, different times). These activities could also reach out to all segments of the community offering cooking classes, exercise, fine arts, etc. Combined centers operating loosely under one umbrella could become a reality. Think multi-purpose centers here.


Currently Newport offers its Edward King House for rental and seniors there keep that funding. Why does Middletown not do the same at its location? I see that the local Historical Soc. is having a dinner there one evening. It is also noted that the Sec. & Councilor Santos are one & the same. So what is the lending policy? Rental venues command prime rates. This center offers parking and new kitchen with a large open area. Why not open its doors with a simple secure passkey for local meetings? There are few places to do so with even Town Hall often holding meetings back-to-back.


Newport and Portsmouth also support their centers not just through the towns, but non-profit foundations. This opens up other funding possibilities besides the State. It also makes the centers more responsible not only for funding, but for management and offering what members ($10 fee) want. Both towns operate their libraries under this system (another possibility for Middletown).


Fewer government regs and expense with more control by users sounds like a win-win situation to me. Senior centers then become not part of town government, but do receive some bottom-line funding from them; quasi-town entities, if you will. It certainly makes for more simplified town budgets in this regard. More services, fewer tax dollars. It's a small island after all.


Formalizing island-wide senior centers -in actuality they are now anyway since any senior may join any group, sounds like a winner to me. It's at least worth some thoughtful consideration.

Middletown Sr. Center- Site for Locals?

**UPDATE** I did ask the Town Admin. regarding this seeming "favoritism." I asked to use the Center once & was told it was only available to the Senior Center.
The town does make its buildings available at no charge. News to me. In this case the Center will receive a donation & the custodian will be paid, although I'm not quite sure WHO will pay.

So if you want a public building- just ask (and let me know what happens)!

Mr. Brown (the "Quiet Man") also pointed out that the new police station will feature a community room. This is good news as there most certainly is a shortage of these available to the public. However, I hesitate in being too joyful as there is also one at the Newport Police Sta. However, at any point in time you may be asked to leave if they need it for a hearing. Tough luck then. So... what's the point?

There is a need for a written policy here. And instituting a passkey system just makes good sense.

So the attitude of the current Senior Ctr. seems to be: why the heck would we want to charge for use of our building when we can give it away for free to those we like? Sometimes the logic is mind-boggling. What is even more boggling is that more haven't complained- loudly.

I would not be surprised, though, if you see oncoming changes here- but not quickly. So I complained & got everyone's attention- if only for a short time. So try it yourself- and let me know what happens . ***

"Middletown Senior Center, Green End Avenue, Newport, 6 p.m. The Middletown Historical Society will hold its annual meeting and potluck dinner. Guests should bring a dish to share. Free." (today's' NDN)

So my question is- why not lease this place out for you know, like actual $ ? I'm assuming this group is paying janitorial overtime & no fee for this venue. It certainly was never presented to the Sr. Center Board. How about opening this building up to other local groups for no-fee where the treasurer is not also a Council person? You could institute a pass card system which would eliminate cusotian overtime.

Huh? Why? Income. Community service. HELLO! Why does it only work for some?

So I'm e-mailing town gov't officials. Will let you know any responses.

Middletown Senior Center- Pt. 3

This is the last of my 3 part series on the Center's By-Laws. See Part l for a copy of its rules. The Center presents its budget Mon. at 6:00. The Council also meets at 7 for its regular agenda.



4. Emergency Fund. The Director may spend up to $250 without Board approval (my wording here).


Doesn't specify if this is annually or each incident related. Understandable, but I'd sure want an accounting of it. This neess some clarification. Then again, the Board never votes anyway.


7. Resignation. See #7 above.

Same deal here. It just needs to be submitted. No one actually votes on its acceptance. And then they kick you out the door. Odd. It would never make it into public record either.

4. Books & records. This one states that any of these are available from the Director for viewing providing that you are a member.


Actually, these records should be avilable to all. Anyone ever ask? Gee, I recall that a Councilor did (Silveira) and all hell broke loose. Too bad he wasn't a member and they would have cheerfully been handed over & then not distributed to the Council chair.Article VI. Misconduct of members. It says that they can throw you out temporarily. Okay. Doubt it, but what do I know?Now what does all of this mean? Firstly, it means that the Senior Ctr. needs to update its by-laws. It also means that NO ONE is enforcing these rules which means that the Director IS the Senior Center. Oversight of our money? Oh, you dreamer.


I'm done. I previously publised my suggestions & conclusion. But since no one who has any actual authority seems inclined to do anything, I'm likely blowing in the wind. So much COULD be done here with our monies. So LITTLE actually is. Sigh.

Middletown Senior Center- Part 2

Continuation of a 3 part series. See Part 1 for a copy of the Middletown Senior Center's By-Laws.

15. Presumption of Assent. Any member of the Board who is present at a meeting of the Board at which action on any matter is taken, shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his or her assent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a member who voted in favor of such action.

What??? You don't actually have to vote, we just assume you voted with the majority? And you can't recuse yourself? Who heck made these things up? And why would any Council vote to accept them?

16. Prohibition of Compensation. Directors may not be paid for performance of their duties as Directors of officers of the Board, except that Directors or officers may be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses spent in the performance of their duties as Directors or officers.

Bringing coffee & doughnuts? Use your own vehicle to get there? Make copies of something? Yup, you're entitled to reimbursement. I've served on many boards & commissions & never seen any of this junk. So are there are reimbursements made?

17. The board may spend any monies... Contracts of a value in excess of $2000 shall be entered into upon the approval of the Town Council.

The Board has never actually voted on anything so I guess that it hasn't actually spent any monies. It also has its own source of private funds which it has raised itself. No Town Council approval needed here. This whole area needs a re-assessment. Having a private checkbook signed only the Director is not only dangerous & foolish for the Center, but for the Director. The amounts spent here are never voted on- remember- no motions made, blah, blah.

2. Election and terms of office. The Officers of the Board shall be elected annually by the members of the Board at the annual meeting. To be eligible as a candidate for Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, or Secretary of the Board, a candidate, if unable to attend the annual meeting in April, should submit his or her acceptance in writing prior to the 2 pm meeting on the prededing [sic] Friday. If the election of the officers shall not be held at the annual meeting of the Board, such election shall be held as soon thereafter as is practicable.

Let's recap here. If you're not there, you can't be an officer unless you submitted your name a week before. But all this is fol-de-rol anyway. While I do see election on the April agenda, the last one held was in May of 06. One officer elected this month asked how long the actual term is for? Well she might ask. Her last one was for 3 years!

2. Executive Director. Among the duties to be performed by the Director will be:
a. to administer Senior Center operating budget and prepare monthly financial reports for the Board of Directors.

Well, knock me over with a feather here. This does NOT state that the Director should develop a budget. This contradicts what is in the Charter which states that the Director is responsible for preparing a budget. The Charter takes precedence but what was the Council thinking when they voted on this? This may also explain why the presenter of the budget to the Council is listed as the Board when the reality is that it's the Director.

i. To prepare a long-range plan for the Center to be presented to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting.

LOL! Ever hear of one? Since they don't actually hold annual meetings, though... At the last meeting the Director did present a few capital items re-circulated from other years. Not much of a plan here. Of course, how long is long? I should think 5-7 years.

3. Refers to what the Director needs to report to the Board each month- to include membership numbers.

An interesting exercise in fiction. The only way to find out the actual membership # is to ask the Town Admin.

Middletown Senior Center By-Laws, Pt. 1

Part 1 of a 3 part series. I will re-publish my suggestions & conclusions then with additional info. It is OUR money after all.


Here are the Middletown Senior Center's By-laws. These are approved by the Town Council. The Senior Center Board observes them, right? Read them & weep. Here are some of the flagrant violations. Remember I've read ALL their online minutes from the past few years since it's been a State requirement.


1.b Prepare the annual senior services department budget for transmission to the Town Administrator and to pursue this budget with the Town Council.


Comment: Remember, this is for the Board. This has never been done. Never. Not once. Not even discussed in minutes going back to Feb., 2006. The entire center membership (don't know how many were present) was told to attend Town Hall 5/8/08 to support it. During the most recent meeting, it was presented- in 10 min. 5 of them were spent by the Director discussing how the Custodian was NOT going to be moved to the police station, despite its being in the budget. It's also not indicated in the minutes that it was presented, much less voted on. That budget, BTW, has been cut. The Board spent 15-20 min. discussing the planned recipe book. God bless them all, good people that they are. They should sit on the programming board (if there was one). Everything was Director motivated; including the fact that she disappoves of senior trips to gambling casinos with no mention of what this actually translates into for the Center. One Board member did voice dissent, but that was it.


1.c. To review periodically the status of the senior services budget. Well, duh, read above.


f. To assess annual dues as may be voted on by the Board of Directors.


Nothing. But in all those years of minutes, only one motion was ever made; and that was to accept some minutes with no vote ever taken/recorded on that motion. The most recent meeting had plenty of motions & voting, though. God bless them. They were trying so hard with no guidance from their Director.


4. The Board of Directors shall be appointed by the Town Council. The Board shall be comprised of nine (9) members all of which shall be members shall be members of the Center in good standing and residents of Middletown.


What? Members of the Center? That requirement seems to have been ignored for quite a while by the Council.


6. Removal. The Board of Directors upon a two-thirds vote may recommend removal of any Director to the Town Council. The Town Council may remove any member upon recommendation or on their own notion when, in the opinion of the Town Council, such removal is necessary for the proper functioning of the Board.


OUTRAGEOUS! Go with the flow or you're outta here. I've never heard of such a thing. No wonder this group functions primarily as a rah-rah arm of the Director and the Center.


7. ...the acceptance of the resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective.


Another srange clause. The group doesn't even have to acknowledge it, let alone offer someone the opportunity to reconsider. No wonder this group never has any actual "Correspondence" in its agendas until their most recent meeting. It would also mean that such a letter would never be a part of public record.

8. The annual meeting of the board shall be held at its April meeting. The annual meeting shall be for the purpose of electing officers, evaluating the year's activities and for the tranaction...of...business.

LOL! The last election this group held was in May of 06. Evaluation? You'd need a report & a vote to do that. They are holding an election this April, though. No! Absolutely nothing to do with me or my request for their by-laws. The Director also issued an annual report ; although it's not so indicated in the minutes. There was no evaluation that I heard, just rah-rah. But then with no standards for evaluation...

10. A regular meeting of the board shall be held in the morning of the center's monthly membership meeting, unless otherwise designated by the board in advance. The board may hold additional or fewer meetings if it deems it appropriate. All ...meetings shall be open to the public.... The annual report on the Board's activities for submission to the Council shall be prepared and submitted no later than the November meeting.

Picture me laughing hysterically here. There are no monthly membership meetings. The board does not meet in the a.m. The board definitely deems fewer meetings appropriate. In '08 it skipped the entire summer & Dec. & filed 6 board meetings. In '07 it held TWO filed meetings. In '06 it held 7. I do note that that "annual report" is on the Board's April agenda. April, November, what's the difference? It's also supposed to be submitted to the Council. I'm still laughing. But wait a minute- that's MY money, and yours. End laughing. Sob.

Senior Centers

While much has been made of regionalization of schools, little has been heard of other areas where this may prove effective with little cost and with little effort. Regionalizing Senior Centers could be done on many levels- and should be done.

Right now we have a program with endangered funding. Why not combine these programs? Not three newsletters- One. Not three programs, but combined programs. You could still keep your three centers. Think about it. Many possibilities present themselves when you think of the senior centers in this fashion.

What is the most popular program at our local Senior Center? An exercise program in the evening open to all. Thinking of our Senior Center as ONLY for seniors is a misnomer. Widening our program focus is healthy not only for seniors, but for the community as a whole. Perhaps the time has even come to think of them as Community Centers. Witness our center's oncoming plan to offer cooking courses. I know two young men who could use some cooking courses (my sons).

Why does Middletown not rent out its Center? It does so in effect when it throws a Sat. Cancer Socity fundraiser/bakesale. This also called for the 4 hr. presence and pay for an overtime custodian. Why not lease this place out for meetings/parties? Much of the time it is empty. It has a kitchen and parking, plus a large room. Hello, income. You could initiate a pass key system there; thereby, no custodian needed for overtime. Think of another place where you could hold community meetings which is sorely needed. And income. For the town and/or center. Easy.

I'll publish later more reasons why some reform in our local center is needed. All of the above could also be handled through a private non-profit which is what Newport & Portsmouth do. They contribute an amount (far less than Middletown) & let this group operate their centers. It not only is cost-effective, but is a responsible system.

By combining centers on some levels, more private foundation monies would also be available. What do you think?

Middletown Senior Center Posts Meeting

Yes, yes, I know that it's all "political" and they have always been observing current open meeting laws. Wait a minute, that's right, I ran as an Independent. I am not the current V.P. of the Middletown Democratic Town Committee. But the Sr. Ctr. Director is. I digress.

I rec'd the meeting notice for the Wed. meeting 3 pm. Re:
DIRECTOR'S REPORT ; OLD BUSINESS: CURTAINS, COOKBOOK, RAFFLE BASKETS;
NEW BUSINESS: PURCHASE OF A Wii

All really important stuff.

The second was filed an hr. later:

ANNUAL REPORT ELECTION OF OFFICERS CBG GRANT LEGISLATIVE GRANT
BUDGET CORRESPONDENCE

A slightly more ambitious agenda. Never has "Correspondence" been on the agenda since meeting minutes were placed online in 2006. No one knew their address, I guess. Someone has obviously been reading their Sr. Ct. By-Laws and about time. Maybe they even read the town's regs about meetings, agendas, &minutes! Yes, a discussion of the upcoming budget mtg. in two weeks just might be in order. It's never been done in 4 yrs. Yes, an election of officers since it's been forgotten for 3 yrs.- they hold office for one year. Yes, an annual report which is way past due (like a few years). And let's not forget the budget discussion. It's never been done in 4 yrs. of online meeting postings. No, it absolutely has NOTHING to do with me. I'm too political.

Picky, picky, picky. Yeah. That's OUR $ they're spending over there. I'd like to at least dream of some oversight. I've sure been overseeing my spending lately. How about you?

There is also a center group membership meeting at 1 tomorrow. So go! LOL. Stay tuned for more info on Sr. Center by-laws. Yup, they've got 'em. They all just forgot to like, y'know, READ them.

Middletown Senior Center Problems are Political

I'd give you the NDN source, but they are no longer posting many of their articles (beyond intro paragraphs). You've got to buy (or not)! The article by Matt Sheley covers my recent complaints regarding the Senior Center's ignoring Open Meeting Laws since they were put into effect. I detailed Eileen's Excellent Adventure into the Senior Center in my recent articles.

This from Senior Center Director Kaull "...we do what we're supposed to with the secretary of state... To me , this is political and ridiculous. There are more imporant things to worry about." And then, "No one here is trying to evade the letter of the law or anything like that..." No, they're not actually trying to do that- it just comes naturally. Political. Hmm. Isn't that how the Director got her job or am I not supposed to say that?

Yes, I was home alone for a few weeks, recovering from surgery, trying to figure out a way to "get" Senior Center Director because... I'm "playing politics and trying to stir up trouble where it doesn't exist." Poor, poor, pitiful me. Actually, I thought that I was being rather nice about the whole thing. I could have filed a complaint with the Attorney General... and may still.

So I jumped into my handy-dandy time machine and set it to go back in time a few years ago. I made her do things to decrease center membership, forced her to run the center from a personal checkbook, and encouraged her to add $ to the center budget.

Then I came back in time, hacked into the Sec. of St. website (clever me), and changed all their filings. I also was able to use mind control and change the memories of all center board members. Now if I could only change our stock portfolio...

What a woman! And I did all of this while taking dopey pills. Imagine if I had actually been alert & well.

No, it's not a grudge match. I don't believe in vengeance, nor do I actively practice hating anyone. Life is too short (and too much fun) for that. It also makes for facial wrinkles. I have nothing personal against her. As a matter-of-fact, she can be quite entertaining & fun. Is this all political? In the sense that it does have to do with government- yes, it is. I've been interested & involved in politics all my life. One of my earliest memories (I was 4) is when I was lifted onto my Dad's shoulder to see/listen to candidate Adlai Stevenson on a whistlestop (remember, my Dad was a r.r. man) in 1954.

Nope, no grudge, but not afraid either. Comes from having a Portuguese mom & Irish father. Ours was NOT a quiet household.

So send that fish my way- Friday would be good. LOL!

Middletown's Senior Center- Possible Solutions

There are a number of changes that could happen to the Senior Center resulting in improved services. It would have to be done within the framework of the Charter. In other words, you must have a Center, although nothing states that it must be in the town. The Director must be appointed by the Town Admin. & confirmed by the Council; however, there is nothing to stop a Senior Board from making recommendations. The Director would still be responsible for developing, administering, & budgeting for the Center, but there is nothing to prevent the Board from also taking part in this. The Director does not have to be full-time and there is nothing to prevent a "sharing" of personnel & services with other communities. There is, in fact, nothing stating the Council must fund any of this.


The Center could become a partner with the Newport King Center. It could establish its own non-profit organization (as it once did) to administer & fund the Center with the town providing a stipend. In other words, you could hand over the entire center to its members.


The Center should always be striving towards best practices as written by the National Assos. of Senior Centers. We need a lot more partnerships with community organizations & resources; such as, non-profits, YMCA, Newport Hospital, CCCRI, & Salve Regina. Our group needs some actual goals & plan for achieving them. A process of self-assessment, purpose and plan for governance, professional fiscal management, and methods and programs designed to connect seniors with their needs, their families, and caregivers. There are a lot of models out there.


We have a number of nusing homes and connections could be made here. It's a small island with three independent senior centers. How necessary or desirable is this?


Perhaps it's time for the Council to appoint a commission with the goal of having our two major outreach programs- the center & the library- operate not only more efficiently, but better serving the public. We are the only island town operating both of these venues through the town government process rather than as private non-profits with local and state support stipends. In tough economic times with more pressure on local governmental groups, this may well be the time & the place to cast another eye on these services just as we do the schools.

However, there is one thing for certain. Until locals start complaining loudly & often, you'll see few changes, merely budget cuts.

BTW, there is no Council rep for the Senior Center.

Middletown's Senior Center Director

Yesterday in pointing fingers for the administration of our Senior Center, I purposely ignored the Director. The reason being that if you accept the fact that everyone involved in the Center acts rather benignly, there is only one person responsbile for anything happening at the Center- the Director, Arlene Rodrigues Kaull. She is a veteran of 30 years at Town Hall, but only the last ?10 with the Senior Center.

There seems to be little or no input from anyone else. Not that many years ago the budget ran through a vigorous vetting process by the Senior Board. However, this no longer is evident. One would hope that the Town Admin. & Council would play a central role in the running of the Center (like- they have the $), but I will point out a few factors rendering this notion somewhat irrelevant at best (oh, you dreamers).

The Director, as I've noted before, had her brother on the Council with a Democratic majority. For awhile he was the President. So how much oversight would you have given- even as a Council member not to mention the Town Administrator? Be honest. Yup, that's how much it got. Then let's get down to her being an officer for the last few years of the Democratic Town Committee. She raised the $, ran the campaigns, & got the candidates- most of whom were elected (even the Republicans that they supported!). Incestuous? Hey, I tried to tell you. How much of a commitment is there then with the Council even now, to exercise more than token oversight? And if you think that there is, you still believe in the Easter bunny, right?

Any good things at the Center must be attributed to her, as well as the bad & the ugly because, make no mistake about it, this is a one-person operation.

Not abiding by Open Meeting Laws? I've got to point to her. These laws have been around awhile & it is the department heads who often point them out at ANY town meeting I've ever attended or been a part of. What seems to be a hefty budget with half of it in salaries- keep pointing. A center run out of a private checkbook in her name only (yes, I've seen this) with no accounting to the Board that I've ever read- just plain irresponsible, not to mention stupid. A lackluster group of seniors bleeding members- yup, you've got it. Tired finger?

I don't like being negative & I don't like pointing the finger; especially at one person. But the buck does seem to stop here, doesn't it? While the Senior Center does work for some, it's not working for the vast majority. I've often been tempted to go out & join the one in Newport. Best bang for the buck & all that. Just too busy presently & still in surgery-recovery mode. My husband's parents did join & when my mom comes, that's where I'll sign her up.

BTW, there's absolutely no use in dropping a dead fish off at my house a la "fishgate." After laughing myself silly, I'd make darn good use of the thing; esp. on Friday!

So, what's to be done? Next and final article coming. Positive only. Any ideas or solutions- welcome!

Middletown Senior Center- Pointing Fingers

I've been offering a critique of the local Senior Center using their own records. Declining membership, increasing costs, ignoring State "sunshine" regs all point to systemic problems. It's fine to say that changes are needed, but unless you know what's causing the problems, any type of "fix" is temporary and likely ineffective.

The first place to point is the Senior Center Board itself which is 9 members appointed by the Council every two years, although the town website really doesn't specify the time- just like it doesn't actually list its officers. This group is entirely composed of seniors active in the Center. Exactly what is their function? Strictly advisory? Management? It makes a difference. Why only seniors on the Board? A broader composition would be desirable for many reasons. One of which might be better computer skills to enable the actual State filings.

Another would be some business experience enabling them to evaluate their Director and take charge of their own budget, rather than just react which is what's happening now. This group seems to view itself as a support group rather than an administrative group. So which is it and which should it be? While not doubting their overall dedication to the center, just having an advisory group which seems to offer mighty little advice, doesn't seem to be quite enough. If, indeed, the group is solely advisory, it doesn't have to file minutes with the Secretary of State, although the town does require it to have minutes AND approve them (and meeting notices/agendas).

A finger should be pointed at the Senior members of the Center itself. They are supposed to be meeting on a monthly basis (State requirement) and don't seem to be. Instead of actually trying to explore new options and models for their group, they seem to let their legs walk to another Center.

I can't really blame them here. Newport's King Center publishes a newsletter with 12 pages (printing paid for by sponsors) & packed with activities- some free, some not. Middletown's consists of 9 pages and much of that is long announcements. The King Center also has an informative website with fouteen - 14- pages! All for the same ten bucks. Daily activities (some free, some with charges are extensive). And it's 1-3 miles away. How many of our residents actually choose to belong to other Senior Centers?

Ready another finger for the Town Admin. & Town Council- the buck stops here. They are the "overseeing body." Ultimately, they are responsible for the Senior Center. I do believe there is a reason for their laxity here, but more on that later. Right now it seems as if the T. Admin. evaluates the Center Director & the Department. (maybe?).

"I am going to talk to the Town Clerk about distributing the Committee handbook to everyone involved in a Town Committee, and will discuss the matter with all Department Heads at our next meeting. Ultimately complying with the law is the responsibility of the Committee members, however I will ask the staff to help the committees improve the quality of how meetings are run, and how agendas and minutes are prepared. In this specific case, I do not think the Senior’s were trying to ‘flaunt’ open meeting statutes."

While it may rest "ultimately" with the Senior Center Board to comply with State law, it is the responsibility of the Town Admin. to ensure that departments and department heads are complying with the town's own regs (to obey state regs). And beyond him, it is the responsibility of the Town Council. Otherwise, what's their purpose?

Point another finger at all the rest of us who ignore the Center because their budget is relatively small and we don't want to aggravate our seniors (55+). $186,000 was their recent town budget cost with $86,500 (almost half) for personnel costs. This doesn't include any expenses deducted from General Funds; e.g., painting nor does it include any State grants or other sources of funding for the Center.

With about 4200 eligible seniors in Middletown, there are 379 paid members- 10%. Yet 15 yrs. ago the membership was over 500 when the population was lower! We are now spending almost $500/member. In 1994 it became a town department with $27,000 budgeted (this came from the Senior's own funding). Previous to that the Seniors raised their own funds (quite sucessfully, I might add), & the town appropriated $5,000. Using my hand-dandy inflation calculator that translates into 2009 dollars of appx. $43,000. Oops. And the Center is no longer throwing any outside finding into the general fund now paid for by -US!

BTW, the Barrington Senior Center support a center in a t0wn approximately the same size as us. for appx. $110,000.

The finger also needs to be pointed directly at the Director. But since I aim to keep these articles short and to-the-point- that will be next time.

Two more articles coming. One on the Director and another on the future, far more than I originally thought. But as I kept digging, more and more questions presented themselves along with more sources of information.

Middletown Senior Center- What's Up?

The Senior Center serves lunch Mon.- Fri. You pay $10 to join and $3.00/meal or any donation. The State funds this program with a minimum requirement number. These meals are served by paid workers & prepared & shipped from Cranston.

It's difficult from the minutes to get actual numbers of meals served. In 2006 there were 5 months of numbers. The average was 450. But with so little data, I hesitate to give that number. 2007 gives only one number- 513 (in March report) and 2008 389 (Nov.) It appears that numbers are down. The latest set of numbers (well, actually, number), represents less than 20/day. How effective is this program then?

On their website there is scant information. If you're lucky you may view a recent newsletter and menu. The newsletter is printed & mailed out by the town. Under the previous Director, sponsors paid for the printing through advertising. While in the Middletown Library I recently picked up the Newport Edward King Newsletter (nope, none from Midd.). Their newsletter was twice the size of Middletown's (Newport also has a Senior Center at Florence Gray) and the printing was paid for by- sponsors! Hello!

The minutes frequently talk about increasing membership. In 2006 a mass mailing of a pamphlet from them was sent out to all seniors. Wow, that must have cost a pretty penny. So exactly how many paid members are there at the Center? 379 says Town Admin. Sean Brown. How many are eligibile? Later. I'll have to play with Excel voting files for that & it won't be pretty. We'll talk budget later in the series. This has been Part 3 in a series. There will be a Part 4 regarding problem responsibilites and Part 5 will touch on various solutions. At least, that's the plan.

Middletown Senior Center- No Voting Allowed

I've served as committee secretary many times- even for the town. It's a demanding job & no one ever really wants. However, once you've got it- it's yours! It can be challenging capturing all the motions, votes, discussions, and topics. However, if you're a member of the Senior Center Board, this is greatly simplified.


In all its public record filings- I located (18), there was a total of 6 motions. 6. Four of these were to approve minutes. It actually needs to be done for each meeting. 2 were to accept the Director's Report. 2. And the latter didn't list the results of the voting.


So think of whatever group you belong to. Any motions ever made? Voted on? Do you ever just plain old discuss? Disagreements?

6 motions in 4 yrs. Four votes. I located no discussion but rather what seems to be a presented list of items being planned or their status that were included in new or old business. I'd assume that these came from the Director. No input from this group was ever recorded.


The group did vote on a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary- in May of 2006 (for one yr.). Never again is a Chair ever mentioned (or a vote for officers); only a Co-Chair and Vice-Chair. Which begs the question, who is running this group?


The budget for the center is NEVER mentioned. Not once. Membership meetings for the entire Center are supposed to held monthly. I located two. Again, lists on their meeting minutes. We need to attract more members & you can help. We need you at the Town Council Meeting. The Board & Director were at the membership meetings, but no one else was listed. Meaning? Lord knows. The membership certainly isn't having any input here. In one membership meeting (4/29/08) all members are requested to attend a Town Hall meeting May 8, 2008. I'm assuming that is a budget hearing.


If the Council is assuming that the Board or the membership have vetted this budget- dream on. When I was a Library Trustee, this was always an important part of our yearly agenda. A subcommittee was formed, information was shared & discussed, practice presentations were held, and a final budget was voted on. The Director may have developed it, but the Board took responsibility for it's finality. Eight people involved. At the Senior Center- ONE for the center budget. No discussion in drawing it up.

We also were involved in a yearly evaluation of the Director in the form of a subcommittee. There is none here, although perhaps the Town Administrator performs this function. Evidently this Board has no input here though. Why not?


How many meetings by the Board have actually taken place? Let's suppose a meeting a month (there should be more if you count membership meetings, but...) In 2009 there has been one, 2008- there were no meetings in June, July, August, and December. So the group actually met about 2/3 of its scheduled time. In 2007- the same schedule plus non-meetings for Sept. & Oct. They met approximately half the time that they were scheduled to meet. Most of these meetings are just not scheduled (vacations), sometimes they are called off for attending funerals. Only one was not held due to a lack of a quorum.


This is Part Two on the Senior Center. Part Three will focus on actual meetings and content; such as it is. but you don't have to take my word for all of this. You, too, can spend hours going through their filings.

Middletown's Senior Center

I'm planning a few short articles on the local Senior Center. The only thing that has been slowing me down is a lack of energy. Guess, all that mojo is going into the healing process.

I chose the center for a number of reasons which will become evident. Before any hubub even begins, I have no hidden agenda or target here. "Nothing but the facts, ma'am." Yes, once again I'm actually dating myself. I do remember "Dragnet."

I intend to point out some problems with this town department, perhaps something of its history & a plan for what the future may bring. Yes, it has to do with $. To think that the town can continue to operate status quo, is naive & dangerous. Changes will happen and soon.

Rather than one long article, I'll make the postings short & frequent. Mind you, I support a Senior Center. If it were up to me & we had the funds, I'd support a total rec center for all groups. But we're a small island. These are areas where working island or even county-wide would work and result in better, more cost-effective programming.

I'll try & get the first posting up tomorrow. So disarm those little pistols and remember (sob, sob), that I, too, am a SENIOR.

Middletown Senior Center- Shhh!

I check agendas & minutes all the time for various public entites- local and state. I have an enquiring mind & want to know what's the skinny. It's easy enough to do nowadays since public records & filings on the Sec. of St. website are not just suggested, they're the law! Recently I've
focused on the Middletown Senior Center Board of Directors for a number of reasons- the main one being that I found so little info on their filing site verus, say, the Middletown Public Library Board of Trustees. I could have asked the Director directly; however, in the past I've had absolutely no response going that route and I have a firm rule against unnecessary head-banging.

Why are these filings important? Well, one reason is that they are required by the State and constitute legal documents (since July, 2004). Another is that the town Charter requires this Board & Director: "to develop and administer all Senior Citizens' Center programs, prepare necessary budgets for Center operations and initiate broad based programs to serve the senior community." There are nine local members of this Board. They are all seniors, although, there is no reason they must be.

Since the State heavily contributes to this program, it also sets some requiments; e.g., monthly membership meetings, reports, etc. This local group also is ultimately responsible along with its Director (whom I would suppose that it oversees) for a yearly budget which is approved by the town. Budget process- NOW.

Got it? So imagine my surprise when in travelling to the State filing's site, I located 25 filings. 25 since 2004. This begs the question- who's running the center & what-the-heck are they doing? Filings are required for each meeting- an agenda 48 hrs. in advanced & posted in two accepted public places and then minutes 35 days afterwards. I then actually read them- all of them- the last first. At the end of the Jan. 21, 2009 meeting (their only filing for the year), there was this sentence: "Also no discussion of our meetings to anyone outside the group."

What? Isn't this the purpose for having sunshine laws & open meetings? Everything is up for discussion because it is, after all, the people's business. I then started to actually explore the documents. It's taken me hours due to all the errors- misfiling dates, duplicates, incomplete filings, etc.

Following posts will take us through all the public docs & translate what it means. Or doesn't mean. While it is up to the Board Secretary to make these filings correctly, the ultimate responsibility for actually making them climbs the ladder- Director, Town Admin., Council. I could have filed a complaint with the Sec. of State, even, perhaps, the Attorney General. Instead, I have chosen (so far) to speak with the Town Admin, a few Council members, and the former Senior Center Director.

More to follow. This is Part One. So many filings required, so few done. BTW, there is an opportunity for all Senior Centers to become nationally accredited:

http://www.ncoa.org/userfiles/file/1_3_NAC_Nationally_Accredited_Senior_Centers_12609.pdf

15 centers in R.I. are nationally accredited. Ours is not. 25 filings in 5 years. A meeting every month. So do the math but SHHHH!

Senior Farm Vouchers

This was certainly well publicizied-NOT! I just read about it. Councilor Santos, where were you? This comes from Middletown's Senior Center website which ain't much but at least has the current newsletter up. You can call the Dir. but don't bother with e-mail.

The Senior Farmers Market Program August 1st – October 31st 9:00am to Noon

Purpose: To provide locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables to low-income seniors.

Eligiility Criteria: Must be 60 or above and have an annual income of:
* 17,223.50 for a single individual
* $23,106.50 for married couples

Benefits: Each approved applicant will receive a voucher with three (3) $5.00 coupons to purchase at APPROVED Farmers Markets in the state. Vouchers will be available on August 1st at the Middletown Senior Center.

This works around the State, I assume. Granted, it ain't much, but it's something.

Middletown's Fishgate

You MUST read this Daily News article entitled "Dead Fish Seen as Threat! I kid you not. Let me point out right away- I do not fish! I eat it, but don't catch it.

Seems as if SOMEONE dropped a 3 foot gutted striped bass minus head/tail parts behind Sr. Ctr. Director Arlene's Kaulls' little $50,000 Audi TT convertible while it was parked in front. Heck, I thought it was a Miata, so thanks to my commenter for pointing this out to me. Arlene did not get a big laugh out of this. Is the car impounded for evidence?

Mrs. Kaul filed harassment charges & Police Chief Pesare (who investigated Mob crime in his previous existence) is taking the fish seriously. Remember "The Godfather?" Supposedly the symbolic Sicilian message is that if you don't heed this warning, you will soon sleep with the fishes.

Or perhaps someone just couldn't afford the new trash bags.

On Thursday, Kaull called the situation “sad” and the latest attempt to make her and her family look bad. Involved in local politics since 1986 — including time on the Town Council — Kaull now serves as vice chairwoman of Middletown’s Democratic Town Committee and is the sister of Town Council President Paul M. Rodrigues.

Maybe someone just doesn't like her. How would a dead fish make your family look bad? Your car- definitely, but your entire family? Actually, I think it more likely that the fish would make your car rather smelly (esp. when the temp was close to 100). So does she actually mean that the fish makes her family stink?

[Paul] Rodrigues said Thursday that the June 2 incident at the senior center involving his sister seemed “eerily similar” to some of the “garbage” that surrounded the last election.“All this nonsense, it just doesn’t end,” he said. “It’s very similar to the games that were being played before the last election. This is just embarrassing and the town doesn’t have time for this.” Pesare said he believed the gutted fish was thrown at Kaull’s car in response to a letter to the editor published in the May 31 Weekend edition of The Daily News about ongoing political issues in the town.

Poor, poor pitiful me. Someone writes a letter to the Daily News & a fish shows up in a car. Yep, I definitely see a connection there. A possible plant (er, fish) to end any real discussion? Why would this embarass you? Sorry, I've never noticed highly sensitive natures here. All the Rodrigues seem quite capable of taking care of themselves- and I mean that as a compliment.

Anyone with information about the dead fish recently left behind the car of Middletown's senior center director is asked to call Detective A. William Swierk at 846-1144 or leave a message on the Police Department's confidential tip line at 842-6516.

Perhaps we need at officer stationed there now? Was the fish dusted for prints? Has an autopsy been performed?

Perhaps it was meant as a donation. “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks”

So what was that fish doing there? “No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise”

Perhaps that fish just knew too much: “If the fish had not opened its mouth, it would not have been caught”

The whole thing sounds mighty fish to me. Is this what you call a fish tale? Hey, I'm a fish out of water here. This whole story if a fine kettle of fish. I've got to stop writing now, I have bigger fish to fry.

Perhaps the fish was accidentally left behind & was meant to be delivered for the Council agenda along with the letter by Kempen's attorney (see previous posting).

Fishgate. Sorry, LOL. I do not wish any of the Rodrigues any sadness. I know too much of that what it's like. But this is funny. Am I swimming upstream here? I just can't stop.

Is the fish being held as evidence? Sorry, I just can't resist.

Thanks to reporter Matt Sheley. Sometimes fishing for a good story just pays off. Politics in Middletown has become like a fish in troubled water. Hey, I'm just a small fish in a big pond here. I need to clam up!

Senior Center Funding

There was an interesting Projo letter Fri. Nt. It was from the Portsmouth Multi Purpose Sr. Ctr. Director, Cynthia Koniecki. In it she is complaining about the loss of grant funding through the Dept. of Elderly Affairs. She mentions a membership of more than 1000.

Now Portsmouth like Newport & many other areas operates its center as a private non-profit (501(c)3) organization. This means it operates off of state grants & local community funding. 60% of its budget is raised in-house through fundarisers, etc. Middletown does not do this. According to our Charter it is operated & budgeted like any other town dept.

Last year Middletown's Senior Center rec'd appx. $200,000 in local funding, the highest in our area. What is the membership? I'm going to hazard a guess from various materials I've seen at a generous 250. That means the town is spending appx. $800/per member. Members pay extra for meals and many activities.

Middletown Senior Center

I ALWAYS read with interest the Middletown Newsletter by Ron Santa. BTW., he does all the residents a real service with all this work. The March 17 Council meeting had an interesting item on its agenda. That was the Consent Calendar item relating that bids had been received for the painting of the Senior Ctr. dining room, the scope of the work, the decision on who to award it to, & then a resolution awarding the job to the second lowest bidder.

The consent calendar usually gets a pass with many items approved with one quick vote, unless a Councillor or someone in the audience wants to discuss an item & that's what happened this time and with good reason. These are the bids rec'd for the job:

Seaside Painting, Midd.- $5,100 Moffit Painting (Wakefield)- $11,708, O'Hearn (Newport) $14,250, Urbane Const. (Cranston) - $19,800, and Medajo (Central Falls) $20,214.

Surprisingly in the bid decision, it was not awarded to the lowest bidder and there was no explanation as to why. Councilman Silveira took the bull by the horns, stepped where few have dared to tred in challenging anything to do with the Center, and asked the mother of all questions- WHY?

The answer was that the lowest bidder did not post a job bond. Let me explain this a bit more. It is at the town's discretion whether or not a bond is required. This would be contained (or not) in the bid sheet. To post a bond you must actually post a % of the job money. It could be 50% or even 100%. If you do not complete the job satisfactorily, it is then forfeit. So posting a bond can be expensive & costs are passed along to the consumer.

One might ask why in a small job like this it was even required. And when such a huge discrepancy was spotted in bid prices, why it wasn't put out to bid a second time without a bond requirement to see what the results were? That did not happen. One might also ask if Workmens' Comp is a job requirement. This makes a difference. W.C. is expensive- esp. for painters. However, if it is supplied, then the town reaps the benefit in decreased insurance costs for itself. Some of these firms may have it, others not. All of these may explain the wild difference in bids.

Another explanation for the high cost of this particular job is 18' ceilings. To install a dropped ceiling is neither difficult nor expensive. It would certainly make any future painting a LOT cheaper. However, it is relatively easy for a town-funded dept. to not explore any of these areas & simply pass any costs not in their budget onto the town.

What other dept. does this? None.

In tough times (and these are them), nobody in town gov't gets a pass. This dept. employs a full-time director (not that long ago it was part-time & is so in Portsmouth) & funds a part-time custodian who also works elsewhere for the town. It is fully funded by the town & is directly under their jurisdiction. This is not true in the surrounding towns. While they are mostly town-funded, they govern themselves & even raise substantial funding on their own (not grants).

In the past few years, the town has spent a lot of money on this Center- new kitchen, outside painting, new windows, inside painting, etc. This is an old bldg. Perhaps our monies could be better spent elsewhere. A new bldg? Renting space? Adding an area for teens and other rec facilities?

The Director has an operating budget & a board of directors. In my review of the few minutes available, there is rarely a Director's report. Who's watching the spending? There is no audit of this spending (handled through a private checking account). The Dir. is the sole holder of this account with no counter-signature required. Huh?

I've seen 6-8 mos. of this account awhile ago- remember when Councilor Silveira got a Council slap for requesting records?. I found little income rec'd for membership. Exactly how many certified members are there? It's a reasonable question to ask. I also saw expenditures for small gifts to those offering volunteer services; e.g., flowers sent to entertainers. Another, huh? Whose money is this anyway? This is a wise way to spend limited funds? How about a card?

I have had a number of people tell me that they would be happy to share their computer savvy (and other knowledge) with seniors & I know at least one made this known to the Dir. Nope. Better to pay someone.

It certainly is worth discussing the point that the Sr. Ctr. should NOT be a town dept. It could still receive town funding, but its control would be in the hands of a board. It's definitely easier to spend someone else's money than your own, knowing that there is a bottom line. This is what MANY towns/cities in the state & our own area do. There is also an argument to handle the library in this fashion also. Takes politics out of both areas.

Like I said, no dept. is sacrosant. It is, after all, OUR MONEY. I want to be assured (constantly) that it's being spent wisely & efficiently. I'm not seeing that in this case.

Why couldn't the town have done this job? Painting equipment (and I'm betting this will be sprayed) is available for rental. This was not an ASAP job. A little more thought in getting this job done economically would have been appreciated.

Thanks, Councillor Silveira, for at least giving it a shot.

While I'm on a roll- the web page is atrocious, no one responds to e-mail, and the minutes are scant. I can't tell if this group rarely meets, or just doesn't bother with public filings (4 agendas in 1 yr. with 2 sets of minutes).

I support a Senior Center for the town. I also support fiscal responsibility with lots of transparency. What about you?

Middletown Council meets Tonight at 7

You already know that the Glass Onion wants to move across the street, right? That's on tonight's agenda along with some other items worth watching. I'll be a no-show. Lots of rest works best for me right now. I'm also not supposed to be driving. I can live with that.
I've been keeping an eye on taxation cancellations. Owed taxes can get cancelled for a number of reasons, but the one I am currently eyeballing is "assess in excess of fair value." This would appear to be that if you sell your home for more than it's assessed (very probable today), your tax bill needs to be based on its selling price. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I do believe from the properties I see being forgiven tax monies that this is the case. Not exactly fair to all the rest of us who have also seen our home values dropped.
The town received blokc grants from the State. The Senior Center rec'd $4000. Is this to be deducted from their current budget or added on? We overfund the Center & have never rec'd an accurate account of current paying membership. I noticed in the Center's last meeting they want to increase membership. Good move. Why is it a local department anyone? Not so elsewhere.
I see that Joe Matose is also donating a painting to the town. He does nice work & I look forward to seeing it sometime.
Councilman "Tries harder" DiPalma has a resolution applicable to group homes. They would need a special use permit under this new law rather than the current right to locate anywhere that they now have. The Board of Review would have the right to turn down their application for a group home if it could be proven that it would have an adverse affect on the neighbohood. Parking availability would also figure into approval.
This would seem to trump state law designed to prevent such action, but I'm no legal eagle. Sets each group home up for a neighborhood fight. It will be interesting to see what happens here. Word may not have yet gotten out on this resolution yet, but it will. Nothing in this resolution applies if the group home is for under six individuals.
I have a group home in my neighborhood and I'd like to see more of these around. I'd rather see neighbors sitting down friendly-like & talking. This won't do it but perhaps it's a start. I also think that this will entail a legal fight with the State over whose law takes precedence.
There will also be some discussion on the new senior housing condos on Forest Ave. The neighbors have concerns. Good for them. They have a blog. See it at left.
There will also be more trash talk. There are 3 board openings. Two of them have only one applicant each. Sad. Especially when one is the Library. After all the public brouhaha over there recently, you'd think more people would step up to the plate when it counts.
Another appointment is partisan to the Board of Canvassers - this group ensures the validity of our elections. One "nomination" is from Don Lavine, current Dem. Party Chair. The Rep. Chair never makes any. This woman may be a saint for all I know. But she was a registered Republican for the last election & an Ind. before. She's been a Dem. for less than a month.
The Chair (neighbor of Senior Center Dir. ), was born in 1932 is a reigstered Republican. The second member (there are 3), born 1932 is a current Undecided voter (strange choice for a Dem. Chair) has voted in both Rep. & Dem. primaries. Hey, no problemo.
The new person put forth lives on Green End Ave. (near Senior Ctr.) and was born in 1931. Hmm, see a pattern here?
This board meets & posts agendas but no minutes. Why not? Why all the close connections to the Sr. Ctr. Director? Why ALL senior women? This group is supposed to be partisan to ensure that elections/registrations are run fairly. Sound fair to you? Was it advertised? How come no application is filled out? I doth protest.