By Joan F. Simoneau, Community Reporter
Marlborough – Reliability, enthusiasm, promptness and a willingness to do whatever is needed are among the positive attributes displayed by the 25 seniors enrolled in the city's first Senior Citizen Residential Property Tax Work-off Program (SCRPT). This was emphasized in Mayor Arthur Vigeant's first annual report on the SCRPT program presented to the City Council during the council's Feb. 11 meeting. A total of 49 applicants were deemed eligible for the program, and 25 seniors from that pool were selected through a random drawing, Vigeant said.
Placements were then made according to availability, skill level and mutual interest.? Vigeant said department heads track the hours of their participants and report to Council on Aging (COA) Director Jennifer Claro.
“As the current program participants begin to reach their 125 volunteer hour maximum, I anticipate seeking your approval before the end of the fiscal year to involve the eligible applicants whose names were not selected during the initial drawing,” he added.
The mayor also included a letter from Claro with his report in which she stated: “I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to work with such a diverse group of talented volunteers who offer our city a wealth of professional experience which includes:? teaching, nursing, housing programming, business and administrative experience, construction management and many more skill sets.”
He noted a conversation he had had with Tom Cullen of the Department of Public Works (DPW), in which Cullen praised the seniors for working out very well and their eagerness ?to help.
One particular benefit Vigeant highlighted was the addition of greeters in the lobby of City Hall.
“Our greeters have allowed us to better serve our citizen customers by directing them to the appropriate offices, answering general questions, and ensuring our constituents have a centrally located resource to point them in the right direction,” he said.
The 25 volunteers in the SCRPT Program and their respective volunteer departments are: Housing – Main Office: Robert Fagone, Audrey Allen, Patricia McClay, Jean Peters, and Nan Fowler; Housing – Liberty Hill Apartments: Milissa Patulak, and Jim Jones; Retirement Board: JoAnn Chamberlin;
COA: Marian Mamayek, Roberta Gray, Judy Jewett, and Zolla Mercado; Mayor's Office – greeters: Mary Foley, Paulina Lynch, and Patricia Hogan; Phoenix Program: Marilyn Fenter; Special Education Department (shared with COA): Leona Keefe and ?Judy Jewett; Early Childhood Center: Ellen Dew, Jean Lane, Leona Keefe, and Shirley Ossing; ?and DPW: Mary Jerome, Rita Griffin, and Rita Arthur.
