Over the past two months, Newtown's senior and disabled housing complex, Nunnawauk Meadows, has seen two new administrators installed into key positions.

Both new Executive Director Judy Slason and more recently installed Lead Administrator Theresa Schremmer brought a substantial wealth of experience to bear on behalf of the approximately 150 residents of the federally subsidized facility adjacent to Fairfield Hills.

Ms Slason was hired by the Nunnawauk board of directors following an extensive search, according to board member LeReine Frampton. She replaced Linda Manganaro.

The newly hired executive director then worked with the board and staff to identify Ms Schremmer as a well-qualified replacement for Nancy Scott, who is retiring from her lead administrative post after 22 years at the complex.

Nunnawauk Meadows is owned by a special nonprofit corporation, Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc, and is situated on 65 acres near the intersection of Nunnawauk Road and Mile Hill Road South.

The facility was originally funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, and its residents continue to be qualified under that agency's federal criteria. The complex is comprised of a central administrative building and clubhouse/cafeteria, 117 one-bedroom apartments, 11 one-bedroom mobility impaired apartments, and six efficiency apartments.

To qualify for residency currently, a person must be 62 years of age or older or a disabled person of any age. There is a current waiting list of more than 250 names hoping to secure residency at Nunnawauk, Ms Slason said.

Ms Slason, a Woodbury resident, said she is thrilled to be returning to more integrated work with local seniors after serving in the dual role of Senior ServicesDirector and Municipal Agent for the Elderly in Southbury. That position, she said, was heavy on administrative duties versus the more immersive and hands-on work she will now be doing alongside the board members and residents she is serving at Nunnawauk.

She also brings additional experience from a previous post overseeing in-home caregivers on behalf of Lutheran Social Services of New England - working out of the Southbury Lutheran Home. She also served briefly as operations director at The Danbury Animal Welfare Society.

Ms Slason said her top priority in her first few weeks on the job was to begin reviewing past management practices and procedures to try and introduce efficiencies that would help enhance both administrative functions and the bottom line.

"I also need to make sure our residents feel safe and enjoy a good quality of life here at Nunnawauk," she told The Newtown Bee during a June 20 visit. "Any time you are working with seniors who are living in individual settings, there are varying degrees of attention those residents may require."

'Smarter Not Harder'

More behind the scenes, but no less impactful, she and Ms Schremmer recently converted the complex's payroll system for its ten employees from a paper based, in-office system to a national payroll service vendor.

"The time and money we are already saving is freeing up funds for other higher priority needs," Ms Slason said.

She also completed an analysis of maintenance requirements and opted to eliminate a full-time position that was no longer deemed necessary when a former facility maintenance worker departed, conserving even more funds for enhancing other aspects of the operation.

"It really was about simplifying processes," she added. "A matter of working smarter, not harder. And I know after 33 years, you have to justify every dollar you spend and spend it as wisely as possible under the guidelines we have to follow."

Since the administrative staff must adhere to a multitude of those local, state, and federal guidelines, Ms Slason sometimes finds herself tempering the enthusiasm of residents or board members - reminding them when their ideas may not conform to one of more of the governing policies the facility is bound to follow.

Among the more 'clinical' aspects of her transition to Nunnawauk was to conduct a complete review of compliance to those many policies. And on the "human side," one of her first outreach initiatives was to survey residents about the types of activities she is hoping to bring to the complex in the coming months.

"Right now, we offer one to two activities each month," Ms Slason said. "But I'm exploring partnering with the Newtown Senior Center to combine some programming.

"We don't want to duplicate services, and with the senior center relocating so close to Nunnawauk, now is the time to start exploring how we can bring residents more activities," she said.

Expanding transportation opportunities for residents is another service Ms Slason is looking into.

"I was big on increasing transportation availability in Southbury because we found the ability to get around was a huge quality of life issue," she said. "Transportation can be quite a hurdle for some seniors and disabled residents."

She has also just completed the first of four modules that will eventually certify Ms Slason in public housing management, which is another piece of compliance required under the USDA facility management plan.

"Part of that training involved studying best practices in developing facility maintenance plans and future developments," she said. This will come in handy as Ms Slason works with her staff and town officials to secure grants and underwriting for the next phase of roof replacements and eventually the construction of what

Ms Slason hopes will be at least eight more ground level housing units to help address the facility's long waiting list.

Although an earlier Small Cities grant was denied, the new executive director is undeterred and is planning to reapply in the 2019 round.

"That application process actually starts this July," she said.

New Lead Administrator

Next door, recently hired Ms Schremmer has the benefit of working side-by-side with her long-time predecessor. She comes to Nunnawauk Meadows after six years working with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD, as executive director at the Plymouth (CT) Housing Authority, and previously at the Housing Authority of Seymour, which encompasses facilities serving both Seymour and her current home town of Oxford.

"This is a job that will use my entire skill set," Ms Schremmer told The Newtown Bee. The Sacred Heart University graduate in English brings a lot of training in the low income housing environment, in tax credit certification, and in other public housing related matters.

"I do a lot of intake application processing to ensure we are following appropriate equal opportunity access requirements as well as monitoring our waiting list and keeping in touch with applicants who are on it," she said. "Then, there is monthly federal certifications under the USDA for each resident regarding income and assets, processing rental income, invoices, and other facility administrative business."

Ms Schremmer will also work closely with Ms Slason and the board on planning and programming, in conjunction with analysis of current and future budget implications.

"We're always looking for ways to make Nunnawauk better," she said.

Having spent many a summer with close relatives who lived in Sandy Hook center, Ms Schremmer said she was pleased to be able to return to the community to work with some of its most vital and cherished residents.

"My biggest asset is that I'm a people person," Ms Schremmer said. "And like Judy, I really love working with our disabled residents and our seniors."

Learn more about Nunnawauk Meadows by visiting www.nunnawaukmeadows.com - or calling 203-426-5000.