With Some Members Feeling a Lack of Council Direction, Town's Age-Friendly Committee Talks of Potentially Disbanding
COA TALK FOCUSES ON MAINE ARTISTS
BAR HARBOR–– At their June 28 meeting, the Age-Friendly Committee members said the committee’s future is unknown.
The committee is comprised of seven regular members and two alternate member positions.
One member, Nancy Howland, whose term expires in 2024, had previously vacated her position. Two other members, Chair Susanne Hopkins and Allie Bodge, both have terms ending on July 31 of this year. At Wednesday’s meeting, both Hopkins and Bodge said that they have changes coming up in their professional lives and they may not seek reappointment.
Member Sharon Linscott also expressed that she may have some changes coming up that may make it hard for her to serve on the committee. Without Bodge, Hopkins, and Howland, the committee will only have four members, which is the minimum needed to have a quorum. The committee needs new members.
According to one page on the town’s website, the only currently open positions on the Age-Friendly Committee are the two alternate positions; however, the Age-Friendly Committee page, also on the town’s website, shows Howland’s seat as vacant. Bodge and Hopkins have not yet decided if they will seek reappointment or not, so, technically, their seats are not vacant.
The town’s website has postings for all currently available committee and board seats. The deadline for application submission for any of those seats is Monday, July 3. According to Town Clerk Liz Graves, any open committee or board seats that remain open after July 31 will be filled throughout the year as interested people apply and the Town Council’s Appointments Committee has time to interview them.
There was talk about soliciting new members and many of the members in attendance said that they could never think of who might want to be a member, and when they did, that person often couldn’t because they were not residents of Bar Harbor.
Committee members also expressed uncertainty about which direction the Age-Friendly Committee should go in the future in regard to its association with the town. Should it continue to be a town-appointed committee that has to run under the rules and guidelines of such entities, or should it be an independent body that can meet when it deems necessary, make decisions that aren’t beholden to a quorum requirement, and not have a residency requirement?
Member Peter Houghton said, “I feel in the brief time that I have been here, we don’t have a defined, in my opinion, we don’t have parameters as to why we are here.”
Another member seconded this by saying that they receive no direction from the Town Council.
It was decided that Linscott would communicate with their AARP representative to see if an independent body acting as the Age-Friendly Committee would still be able to maintain the town’s “AARP Age-Friendly Town” designation.
If this is the case, the committee may petition the Town Council to disband the Age-Friendly Committee as an appointed committee by ordinance so that members can create an independent organization that is free to run itself without the constraints that go along with being a town committee.
Regular Business
The regular business portion of the agenda proceeded quickly with unanimous approval of the minutes from May’s meeting, following the call to order at 4:05. The one item of business that generated conversation was discussion regarding hosting talks in the fall and winter. These talks would be informational and include such topics as grief management, living wills, and powers of attorney.
While these topics seem to be focused on seniors, the mission of the Age-Friendly Committee is “strive for a community where all the residents of Bar Harbor, regardless of age, can live, grow and thrive.” During conversation at Wednesday’s meeting many members stressed the importance of having members that encompass all age groups.
COA TALK FOCUSES ON MAINE ARTISTS
The College of the Atlantic Coffee & Conversation series continues on Tuesday, July 18 with Bowdoin College Museum of Art co-directors Dr. Anne Collins Goodyear and Dr. Frank Goodyear and photographer Walter Smalling discussing their book At First Light and the communities of artists and craftspeople who practice in Maine with art critic Carl Little.
At First Light chronicles 26 extraordinary artists of the last 200 years who have lived and worked in Maine. The volume considers the significant contributions artists have made to a deeper and more profound understanding of Maine's history, its land and its peoples. Maine's unique and breathtaking landscape — from its rugged coastline, quaint harbors, majestic mountains, and verdant forests — continues to have a powerful effect on the artists who are drawn to its shores.
Written by the Goodyears with Farnsworth Art Museum chief curator Michael K. Komanecky and with a foreword by former Maine Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum, each chapter focuses on a different artist, featuring the artists' artworks and anchored by breathtaking contemporary photography of their homes, studios, and surroundings. From picturesque bungalows to grander structures with beautiful vistas, the houses and studios featured are as diverse as the artists who have inhabited them.
The Coffee & Conversation series features discussions between invited guests and College of the Atlantic faculty members and trustees. The summer of 2023 features conversations with authors, scientists, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, researchers, and thought leaders. Coffee & Conversation is held every Tuesday morning in July and August at 9:30 a.m. in the Davis Center for Human Ecology, Rm. 101, and live online. Attendance is free and open to the public but registration is required for both online and in-person attendance; learn more and register at coa.edu/coffeeandconversation.
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