Douglas Senior Center Reports Record Attendance, Seeks Parking and Staffing Solutions

DOUGLAS — March 25, 2026 — Douglas Senior Center logs 1,652 visits since January as parking and space become pressing concerns. Director Patrice told the Council on Aging at its March 25 meeting that 596 of those visits occurred in just the last 18 days, with the van service completing 429 rides year-to-date across January, February, and a partial March. The state Council on Aging grant is expected to remain level-funded at $16 per senior for FY2027, based on a federal census count of 1,958 Douglas seniors that Patrice said understates the true population by roughly 1,000. Patrice said her full operating budget appears likely to be funded heading into May Town Meeting but cautioned, "I can't afford to lose an employee at this point." The board assigned member Christine to research whether a building fund or trust mechanism could be established toward a future senior center, with a report due at the April 29 meeting, as parking — shared with a federally contracted post office lot and complicated this winter by highway equipment storage — remains without a near-term fix.