COLRAIN — The Council on Aging’s foot clinics are seeking a new home, prompting town officials to consider the broader question of where to offer senior services in a town without a senior center.

The foot clinic, a by-appointment health clinic hosted by the Council on Aging with funding from LifePath and the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, is offered twice a month in the Fire Station’s kitchen and break room. A nurse offers podiatric care for free, though donations are accepted.

However, Town Administrator Diana Parsons said the location became an issue for the Board of Health, with members feeling the medical use of the space is not appropriate for a kitchen. Additionally, activities in the Fire Station could potentially inhibit firefighters’ use of the break room, even if the Council on Aging only occupies the space for a few hours each month.

“In the Fire Station, you have people there every day,” Parsons said. “They’re on call, they’re working. I know it’s only two days a month, but the activity itself combined with the activity going on in the Fire Station, it is just the least ideal place.”

The foot clinics that have already been scheduled for Aug. 27, Aug. 28, Sept. 18 and Sept. 24 will proceed as planned in the Fire Station’s kitchen and break room, but come October, they will need to move to a new location.

In addition to weekly exercise, craft and social programs, the Council on Aging hosts monthly meals, medical services and occasional special events, all of which are generally scheduled for different locations. Foot clinics take place at the Fire Station, cornhole takes place at Colrain Central School, and chair exercises and social time are offered at Town Hall. Parsons said having these programs at different locations is fine for the most part, but a centralized location would be beneficial and would allow the council to provide expanded services, including transportation and Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) counseling.

“The seniors that are managing the COA right now are having these activities and having a strong, active group. I think that’s fantastic, but our responsibility is for all the seniors living in Colrain,” Parsons said. “There’s a whole bunch of seniors we just don’t reach because we don’t have the capacity, both in facilities and administratively.”

Parsons added that Council on Aging Chair Janice Barnes recently became a certified SHINE counselor to help residents navigate Medicare and health care questions, but she lacks a space to offer counseling.

“I lay that problem down at our feet knowing we don’t have an answer,” Parsons said at a recent Selectboard meeting.

Not only does the town need to find a location that will work in the short-term with currently scheduled events, like the foot clinics, but it needs to take into consideration the long-term needs of the community and the town’s growing population of seniors.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Colrain has a median age of 49.3 years old, a tad higher than Franklin County’s median age of 47.5 and the state median age of 39.8. Nearly 29% of the town’s population is over the age of 65.

Barnes said the council already has a fairly large crew of regular event attendees. The community meals see an average of 50 to 60 seniors, and the foot clinics can serve as many as 40 seniors between the two monthly sessions. The Council on Aging tries to reach as many people as possible with the limited space and resources it has available.

“We just try to do the best we can with what we have,” Barnes said.

Parsons floated a few ideas, such as exploring a partnership with the Senior Center in Shelburne Falls or putting out a request for proposals (RFP) for locations. Previously renting out a church for events proved to be costly, but she suggested the town could potentially secure a lower rate for a longer contract.

However, Council on Aging members in attendance at last week’s Selectboard meeting expressed dissatisfaction with both options.

Council on Aging member Richard Herzig said the council previously held activities in both the Shelburne Falls Senior Center and nearby churches, and did not feel welcome in either location. Herzig added that the council always cleans up after its programs and that the foot clinic is its best program.

Parsons said she and the Council on Aging will need to work together in the coming months to find a new space for the foot clinics.

“This is no fault of the COA,” Selectboard Chair Emily Thurber said of the need to move the foot clinics out of the Fire Station. “You guys have a lot of limitations and restrictions. … There’s no place for you guys to go.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.