The Town of Norwood is working on bringing back senior lunches, which have been paused for months. Leila Seraphin of the FRESH Foundation appeared before town trustees at Norwood’s monthly town meeting to discuss. Seraphin has been managing for the FRESH Foundation, and her organization is ready to take on senior lunches; it’s already helped fund the program for some time.
Now, FRESH Foundation and the Town of Norwood will work on finding potential cooks and volunteers to resume the meals one day a week. Anyone interested should email Seraphin at leilafli@yahoo.com.
In that meeting, Norwood trustees also approved a motion to support Norwood Public School’s bond proposal, as the district has worked on a BEST Grant through the state the last two years to build a new school.
Trustee Morgan Rummel resigned from Norwood’s board, leaving a vacancy, and town trustees have to fill that spot now. They’re choosing to run an election, rather than appoint someone. Already, the town is having an election in December, though, for the purpose of letting the community decide whether or not to recall the mayor. The trustee seat will also be voted on then, and anyone who wishes to run as a trustee candidate should see Town Clerk Amanda Pierce at Norwood Town Hall to pick up the packet and start getting the required number of signatures.
Related to the recall election, Mayor Candy Meehan questioned Pierce serving as election director, since Pierce was involved in this past summer’s mayoral investigation, when Meehan looked into dissolving the sanitation district and used town funds to seek legal counsel.
Trustees expressed Pierce should remain in place and will oversee the election properly.
The town is now dropping the investigation of potential hacking of the town’s technology, per local IT expert Jason LaFlamme’s suggestion.
On the agenda, Meehan requested money be returned to her. In June, when questioned about seeking counsel and using town funds to discuss the sanitation district’s future, she wrote a check to cover the amount she spent during that process. Now, she’s had further legal advice that she didn’t need to pay that money to cover those costs. Trustees agreed to give her back the $3,743.
Meehan also has letters from CBI and the 7th Judicial District that she wants all to be aware of. Those state she’s exonerated from any crime. Still, some citizens don’t agree that Meehan’s probe was ethical, including former mayor Kerry Welch, who read a statement that the current mayor is not following the code of conduct in various ways.
"Just because it's legal doesn't make it right," Welch said.
In other town news, Norwood will now use ASAP’s accounting services for payroll, and Patti Grafmyer, former town administrator, has been coming in to do some work part-time for water and sewer tasks, since there’s no town manager at this time.
Deputy Sheriff Michael Donnellon addressed some concerns about speeding and said fellow deputies aren’t seeing the high rates of speed in the core district that some people think they’re witnessing. Though, he said there’s a trend of crime escalating, and it involves substance abuse and alcohol, as well as assault. He encouraged trustees to do a ride-along in his car to see what a typical day looks like.
The San Miguel County Sheriff's Office is increasing their rate of coverage by 6 percent for next year.
Pierce told trustees that Norwood’s parks are up for some big grants this year, as much as $800,000, through Great Outdoors Colorado.