Transportation projects large and small will headline Monday’s City Council meeting. The largest will be a set of ordinances allowing the city to move forward with the transportation center slated for Falls Avenue. But the most high-profile subject will be funding for the Volunteers from the Heart program, which is run by United Community and Family Services to pair up active seniors with those who are ill or just unable to get around easily. Mayor Benjamin Lathrop and Gov. M. Jodi Rell have agreed to have the city and state put up $25,000 each to keep the program running after its funding initially had been axed by the state Department of Social Services. “We’re contributing to a program we didn’t want to see cut,” Lathrop said of the agreement. “It isn’t on (Monday’s) agenda, but I’m going to ask the council to suspend the rules so we can talk about this.” He said the money would come from the city’s contingency budget. City Manager Alan Bergren said Thursday the funding is in the city’s best interest. “This is a vital program that has been funded for many years, and a lot of people depend on it,” Bergren said. He said he hopes the state will reconsider fully funding the program next year. As for the transportation center, the council is expected to act on a measure to discontinue a section of Falls Avenue as a city road to allow for construction; and to weigh acquiring a portion of the road by eminent domain. Another measure cou ...
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