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.