Douglas COA Weighs Dropping Mailed Newsletter to Cut Annual Costs

DOUGLAS — April 29, 2026 — Douglas Council on Aging considers dropping its mailed newsletter as costs near $2,600 annually. The Council on Aging board met April 29 with COA Director Patrice, who reported 2,540 senior center visits since January 1 and announced the hiring of a new van driver named Lee. The director said mailing the center's newsletter through vendor LPI costs approximately $600 every two months — roughly $2,500 to $2,600 per year — and raised the question of whether in-house printing and drop-off distribution could replace it at a fraction of the cost, with a decision expected by late summer. Board members also heard that a coffee hour the previous day featuring a representative from the town administrator's office drew unexpectedly large attendance, with the session running nearly an hour and a half; the board discussed making such sessions a regular quarterly feature. On the long-running question of a new senior center, the director reported the town administrator told attendees the timeline depends on the order of other capital projects, with the highway department and police station currently ahead of the COA in the queue.