At the July 7 Town Council meeting, the council unanimously approved the job description for the new senior programming coordinator. The town will now look to hire someone for the part-time role.

In December 2020, the Senior Resource Advisory Committee issued a report on the needs of seniors in Clinton. As part of that report one of the recommendations was for the town to establish a new position for a part-time senior program coordinator to be included in the 2021-’22 budget.

Once the town budget passed in May, that meant the position was officially created once the new fiscal year started on July 1. At the first meeting of the council after that date, the council unanimously approved a job description for the senior programming coordinator as presented by Town Manager Karl Kilduff.

The new coordinator will be tasked with communicating and develop programming for residents ages 55 and over. In addition to new programs, the coordinator is also asked to coordinate with existing programing and to maximize participation in any events. The coordinator will report to Kilduff and work with a senior services committee, should that committee be created as was also recommended in the December report. The job is budgeted for $17,000.

With the job description finalized, the town is now ready to recruit applicants.

“The next step is to advertise the position,” Kilduff wrote in an email to the Harbor News. “The job opportunity will be posted in the appropriate professional associations to attract an interested applicant. The job is certainly a unique opportunity to build and grow a senior program for Clinton.”

As for a first order of business, Kilduff said, “The coordinator will need to learn the senior service landscape to understand the partnerships that currently exist and opportunities that will help drive local programs. In the early stages, a lot of the work will be building partnerships in preparation for launching new programs and serving the senior population in Clinton.”

Clinton’s available opportunities for senior citizens has been a major focus over the last two years. Some members of the public have complained to town officials about what they say is a lack of recreational, educational, health, and cultural resources dedicated specifically to seniors. While several seniors have stated they travel outside of Clinton to other towns that have more to offer, others have countered that Clinton does have some programs for seniors but doesn’t advertise them enough. The coordinator will be tasked with fixing both issues.

On particular sticking point for seniors and their advocates in town has been Clinton’s lack of a senior center. The creation of a physical space committed to senior programing was a long-term goal that the Senior Resource Advisory Committee report endorsed.

“As interest and participation in Clinton’s programs measurably increases, a physical senior center should be created to consolidate and centralize the programming for Clinton’s 55+ year old residents,” the report stated in part.

A line of the senior coordinator’s job description states the “goal of this position is to build a following for senior services and programs to lead toward transitioning to a senior center.”

There was some description of whether it was appropriate to include that line in the description, but ultimately the council opted to keep it in. Council member Tim Guerra said he felt leaving the line in lets people know the center is still a goal.

“I want people to know that eventually the goal is to create a senior center,” Guerra said.

The full job description can be read on the town website clintonct.org.