Southwick Council on Aging Defends Movie Theater Purchase, Cuts Newsletter Mailing Costs

SOUTHWICK -- May 11, 2026, Southwick's Council on Aging publicly defended a newly installed mini movie theater and laid out its full budget structure at its May 11 meeting. Chair and Director Paula told the board that the theater, six reclining chairs purchased for $999 per set on Amazon and an 85-inch television for $750, totaling under $3,000, was paid entirely from the council's annual state formula grant of roughly $44,000, not from the $11,305 the town appropriates for operations. She said the clarification was prompted by a Southwick Library Board member who questioned the purchase in a public meeting while the town is asking all departments to cut 10 percent. "I guess I would never go on a meeting and condemn somebody else for doing a positive thing," Paula said. The council has already submitted a 10-percent-reduced budget for the coming fiscal year and reported a separate $6,000 annual savings by ending bulk newsletter mailing in favor of email delivery and volunteer drop-offs at senior housing complexes. Summer programming highlights include a June 23 picnic with fiddler Sarah, funded by a $700 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, with the Southwick Police Department staffing the grill, and exercise class participation that has grown from roughly 70 to 124 participants per week over two years.