Senior Center Director Victoria Buckley introduced Chignola to the public by way of her update to the Select Board Oct. 26.
Buckley said Chignola is working with older residents and their families, as well as younger residents with disabilities, and that the senior center would be hiring a second outreach worker.
Chignola joined the center in June. A licensed social worker, she has 25 years’ experience with human services and social services, and 10 years solely focusing on seniors and people with disabilities.
A Leominster resident, Chignola said her regional contacts come in “handy when I have to call in a favor real quick.” She is working at learning about Sterling, “which is a very tight-knit community,” and her goal is to “meet every senior” using outreach visits, starting with those over 80.
“My passion is serving the underserved population,” Chignola said, including those who don’t feel they fit in at the senior center. “And it is really important to me to support caregivers.”
Chignola is available at the Senior Center on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Buckley said the center continues to be busy. The staff is participating in a MART pilot program to use technology to provide more rides to more people. Through September, the center provided almost 3,400 rides. The center is also composting its food waste to help feed Sterling pigs, which is a busy process considering they have provided 4,400 lunches so far this year.
For anyone who has not visited the Sterling Senior Center — or have not visited recently — Buckley invited them in for Welcome Week, Nov. 14-17.
Police staffing Police Chief Sean Gaudette met with the Select Board to ask them to appoint Ryan Ferguson as the department’s new sergeant.
Gaudette said that with several strong candidates for the open sergeant position, there was an intense testing and interview process.
“Ryan has really come into his own,” Gaudette said.
Ferguson, a Holden native, joined the department in 2008 and became a forensic officer, helping Detective David Johnson, in 2018. In 2020, he took over the property and evidence room and recently finished a yearlong review of all the property there.
With Johnson’s retirement, Ferguson stepped up as the acting detective.
Speaking of Johnson, officials agreed to appoint him as a special police officer, following his retirement this summer.
“His wife wants to get him out of the house,” Gaudette said with a chuckle.
Johnson would be doing traffic work, but, because of his experience, the chief wants Johnson to have the special privileges of the special officer designation, including carrying a gun and operating a cruiser, when needed.
Johnson would be paid through the payments from companies for traffic details, Gaudette said.
