Sudbury Council on Aging advances meals program planning, announces coordinator retirement

SUDBURY — March 18, 2024 — Sudbury Council on Aging plans community meals program as $250,000 state AV grant arrives. The council learned March 18 that Sudbury received a $250,000 state grant for audio-visual systems at the senior center and Town Hall, on top of roughly $150,000 already appropriated, potentially freeing money to restore about $67,000 in kitchen equipment cut from the community center build-out. Director Debra Galloway said the center is working with a consultant — a Sudbury resident with industry experience — on a three-to-four-day-a-week meals program in the multi-purpose room, open to all building users at roughly $6 per meal on the Northborough model. Galloway also announced program coordinator Sharon will retire March 31 after 10 years, staying on 15 hours weekly to edit the newsletter. The Board of Assessors meets March 28 to consider raising the senior tax work-off benefit from $1,500 to $2,000. The community center grand opening remains unscheduled, with drainage repairs pushing completion from May into June. Member Marilyn Tromer called the recent St. Patrick's luncheon "a cloud lifting up."