By Dave Watkins in Other Committee — 08 Jun 2026

Newington Senior Center Wins $250,000 State Nutrition Grant, Votes to Keep Fees Waived

Other Committee · Meeting of June 8, 2026

Newington's Senior Center Advisory Commission unanimously voted to waive annual membership fees for the coming year and received news of a $250,000 state grant for senior nutrition programs. State Senator Matt Lesser, chair of the legislature's Human Services Committee, appeared before the commission on June 8 to announce the grant, which will be shared among Newington, Rocky Hill, and Wethersfield; Newington's estimated share is approximately $83,000, which center director Jamie said would fund the nutrition program for nearly a year on its own. The commission voted to continue the donation-in-lieu-of-fees model after Jamie reported the center has collected $42,087 in voluntary donations year to date, compared with a projected $7,000 if the pre-pandemic $5-per-resident fee were reinstated for the center's roughly 1,400 members.

Combined center account balances stand at $289,427. Lesser also outlined a range of legislation passed this session, including $75 million in Medicaid rate increases, updated wheelchair repair protections, and codification of the ADA's integration mandate in state law. The commission set its next meeting for September 2, 2026.

In the full story:

Key decisions reached during discussion
Who Was There
Organizations And Documents Referenced
The complete report — 2,692 words

Source: the Other Committee meeting of June 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

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