New director sought for senior center

Wilson says driver’s drunken driving arrest led to her firing from agency

FAYETTEVILLE — The Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center needs a new director.

Cayla Wilson’s last day as director was Nov. 21, according to Jerry Mitchell, executive director of Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas. The agency appointed Angie Dunlap, director of senior center services, as interim director.

Wilson said Tuesday she was fired. She said one of the drivers for the agency’s taxi program, which provides rides for senior residents to doctor’s appointments and other necessary trips, was arrested in connection with drunken driving. The incident happened on a weekend a few months ago, on the employee’s own time, Wilson said.

Wilson said she didn’t tell the agency. The center was strapped for drivers, and it

likely would have taken months to hire a new one, she said. Wilson said she also felt it was a personal matter for the driver. The employee had provided court documentation showing he was allowed drive, she said.

“They were like, ‘You’re an excellent director. You’ve done so many good things for the center,’” Wilson said. “Then they came in and fired me. They fired me right after I did a big Wheels on Meals benefit at George’s.”

Mitchell said he couldn’t comment on personnel issues. However, he echoed Wilson’s sentiments about inadequate staffing. The center now has 15 full- or part-time employees and three contracted for exercise classes, he said.

The Meals on Wheels program, served out of the center, provided more than 4,000 meals to nearly 200 seniors in the city in September. Another 60 to 100 seniors walk in for meals daily.

The agency’s budget for Fayetteville’s center at the start of the fiscal year July 1 was $509,000, Mitchell said. The entire Washington County

budget was $1.1 million, he said.

Mitchell said the agency’s centers rely heavily on volunteers. Staffing depends on what the budget will bear, he said.

Given that, the agency doesn’t bend its employee policies because of low staffing, Mitchell said.

“We try to make sure they apply that across the board,” he said. “You don’t put anybody at risk just to get the job done.”

A sick cook wouldn’t be allowed to work, Mitchell used as an example. He added senior residents can be among the most vulnerable in a population.

Don Marr, chief of staff to Mayor Lioneld Jordan, said the agency called city administration officials to

let them know Wilson no longer worked at the center and it was a personnel matter. The news came as a surprise, Marr said.

“We had no complaints,” he said. “In fact, most of the feedback we’ve had on Cayla has been positive. We haven’t had any negative experience.”

Wilson said she helped raise a lot of money for the center in her five years as director and oversaw a major kitchen expansion to accommodate the Meals on Wheels program. That project, still underway, has used $245,000 in Community Development Block Grant money in addition to $85,000 for appliances and equipment. The project also received a $25,000 Walmart Foundation grant.

“I feel like I have done my very, very best over these

years to make sure the seniors have a great program and they’re cared for and loved,” Wilson said. “It saddens me, because that’s where my heart is.”

A job posting has been made. The agency will start the process to hire a new director after receiving a pool of qualified applicants, Mitchell said.

The city’s $98,000 contract with Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Arkansas to provide recreation services for seniors will be on Tuesday’s City Council meeting agenda.