Holly Pond extends senior center hours, director becomes full-time position
Nov. 8—HOLLY POND — Several senior residents expressed support for the Holly Pond senior center and director Cecily "CC" Cannon during Monday evening's Holly Pond Council meeting.
Mayor Carla Hart said the Cullman County Commission on Aging has been working to transition all directors of the county's 17 local centers to full-time employees.
Cannon told the council a full-time position would enable her to more effectively focus her efforts on fundraising efforts and organizing events. Currently, she divides her time between multiple jobs and often uses personal time to make fundraising calls for the center.
"If this center goes full-time, I'll be able to use the county's time instead of my own time to go out to all these churches promoting and calling all of these people," Cannon said. "If I won't have to work so many hours [at other jobs] I can actually work with the senior center and the school and keep everything within the community."
A number of residents praised the Holly Pond center which they felt was a direct reflection of Cannon's efforts as director.
Paulette Porter said she and her husband only became involved with the center this year after learning of the group's program to offer meals to the community's homebound residents. Lee Manns said she had been a part of a similarly sized center while living in Cedartown, Ga. She was immediately impressed with the local center when she moved to Holly Pond two years ago to be closer to her granddaughter and great-grandchildren.
"I've never seen a center like this one. She [Cannon] works so hard and tries to make everyone happy. The other centers just didn't do as much, and the food is better," Manns said.
Hart shared her personal support for the center and the approval to promote Cannon to a full-time position. However, she said due to the increased expenditures the decision would be left up to the town's councilmembers. Because the position would fall under the Commission of Aging's umbrella, the council would only need to approve for the center to be open for an additional hour and a half each afternoon, which was met with unanimous approval.
The center's extended hours will now be 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.
In other business the town:
* Amended a motion made last month to purchase two defibrillators after a public suggestion to add an additional device in the concession stand located at the town's baseball fields. The town will now purchase three devices along with a wall cabinet and needed accessories for each from American Emergency Products.
* Approved to pay White Pine Designscapes $1,200 to provide trimming, weeding, mulching and clean-up services in Governor's Park and the town's event center and for $475 to be used to purchase the needed mulch.
* Approved for up to $3,000 be used for the needed labor and materials to install outdoor carpet inside the town's batting cages.
* Announced the Civitan and Town Christmas event will take place Saturday, Dec. 2 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.
