Mayfield Heights May Join Tri-City Consortium on Aging

Members of Mayfield Heights City Council's Finance Committee recommended that the city spend $267,000 to join the Tri-City Consortium on Aging for 2011.

The organization, which serves Lyndhurst, South Euclid and Highland Heights, has also served Mayfield Heights since city Human Services Director Eileen Adornetti retired last July. The proposed contract would make Mayfield Heights an official member of Tri-City.

Mayor Gregory Costabile said Adornetti worked with Tri-City Director Stacey O'Brien to transition to having services provided by the consortium, which offers exercise programs, meals, arts and crafts, games and activities, computer classes and more.

"I have been very impressed, as the mayor, with the services we've received from Tri-City," Costabile said at a Finance Committee meeting Monday.

Costabile said Tri-City will cost about $50,000 more annually than the city had been spending on human services, but more services are needed.

"We've been very impressed with the work that one person did," he said. "But there really is a need for greater services and greater resources."

Councilman Joe Mercurio, Finance Committee chairman, said, "The extra services we get well offset the incremental cost."

Councilwoman Diane Snider said she has been a supporter of Tri-City for several years.

"I like what they do and I think it's a positive approach for our city," she said.

O'Brien said residents of the four communities are welcome to attend programs and events at any location, and adding Mayfield Heights would increase options.

"Our hope would be that we have lots of things for people to access any day that they want to go and do something," she said.

The proposed contract includes having rides to grocery stores, medical centers and other places provided by the Senior Transportation Connection. Mayfield Heights residents have been paying $2 per trip and would pay $3 per trip under the proposed agreement. Costabile said residents of other member communities pay $5 per trip.

"In subsequent years, we want to get everybody the same at $4," he added.