Minutes
Aging and Disability Commission - Minutes - Feb 3, 2026
Feb 3, 2026
A public record published by the Town of Simsbury (simsbury-ct.gov). mySimsbury indexes it and makes it readable; it is not the official copy. View the original file.
Aging and Disability Commission Subcommittee (Age-Friendly Community) Regular Meeting Tuesday, February 3, 2026 – 2:30 PM Virtual Format Only via Zoom Minutes Jan Beatty, Chairperson, called the meeting to order at 2:33 p.m. PRESENT: Jan Beatty, Ed LaMontagne, Mike Jennings, Cheryl Cook, Valerie Finney, Libby Easton-May PUBLIC AUDIENCE/PUBLIC COMMENT: No one from the public was in attendance and no comments were received. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: January 6, 2026 –Ms. Easton-May moved to accept the minutes, Ms. Finney seconded. All voted in favor. OLD BUSINESS • Community Partners Response Form from AARP The Community Partners Response Form was reviewed by subcommittee members to “slim” it down. It was decided that the following actions take place: 1. Subcommittee members would meet with the partners to update them on the progress of the action plan. 2. The Community Partners Response Form would be sent out to all of the partners. 3. A Zoom meeting would be set up with the individual partners to review the Response Form and answer any questions they may have. • Drive-Thru Curbside Delivery Business/Window Clings/Resource Guide At this point, no further action has been made regarding the drive-thru curbside delivery business or the distribution of window clings to businesses. Efforts will continue along those lines. Discussion was held regarding the printing of the A&D Commissions Resource Guide, which is currently on-line only. Funds for the printing would be used from the A&D Commission budget. NEW BUSINESS • Contacts/Agencies for Aging-In-Place Expo Due to last Septembers successful Aging-In-Place Expo, it was decided to hold another Expo in mid- September of 2026. The expo would, once again, be held at the Simsbury Library. Ms. Beatty distributed a floor plan from last years’ expo for discussion. Suggestions for new agencies to participate were made including, agencies that provide technology for seniors and persons with disabilities and the Simsbury Housing Authority. It was recommended that each subcommittee member select a number of participants from last year to determine if they would be interested in participating in the expo this year. Age-Friendly Community Sub-Committee February 3, 2026 Page Two • Application for AARP Community Challenge Grant The AARP Community Challenge Grant is now being offered with a deadline for application by March 4th. The grant amount is $2,500 and can be used for short-term community improvements. One suggestion was to apply for funds to purchase “Mobimats”, which are used to transport wheelchairs, walkers and other assisted devices over rough surfaces. It was recommended that the town’s Parks and Recreation Department be contacted to determine if there would be town wide use of the Mobimats. SUMMARY OF AARP AGE-FRIENDLY WEBINARS • Age-Friendly Survey Learnings and 2026 AARP Community Challenge Launch This seminar, attended by Ms. Beatty was held on January 13th. Ms. Beatty stated that over 1,000 towns, cities, counties, and states from around the country have joined the AARP Age-Friendly effort. She mentioned the following take-aways: 1. There is a service gap for all-age accessible recreation programs 2. Dennis, Mass is re-branding their Senior Center 3. There is an increased demand for intergenerational programs 4. One town’s 5-year plan includes using open space for an age-friendly park concept UPCOMING AARP WEBINARS • February 10, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Getting There Together: How Communities Are Improving Transportation Access https://events.aarp.org/ZaRr9r • March 10, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Power of Spinoffs: How Age-Friendly Efforts Spark More Than Expected https://events.aarp.org/ZaRr9r ADJOURNMENT There being no other business the meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m. Next Meeting: March 3, 2026 at 2:30 pm, via Zoom. Respectfully submitted: Edward J. LaMontagne Edward J. LaMontagne Clerk