Familiar face to take over Saugus Senior Center

SAUGUS – Senior Center Director Frances Rigol will be shutting her office door for the final time tonight, but she will be handing the keys off to a very familiar face.Administrative Assistant Joanne Olsen has been named Rigol’s successor and will officially take over the director’s duties Monday.”It will be exciting working more one on one with the seniors,” Olsen said Thursday.While Olsen may be new to the job, she is hardly new to the center, having worked alongside Rigol for 15 years. Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said she was a natural choice.Bisignani and the Senior Center should count themselves lucky that Olsen agreed to step into the director’s role because it is not one she has longed to hold.”After seeing what she does, because no one knows what goes on behind the scenes, I aways told Fran, ‘I wouldn’t want your job,'” Olsen said with a laugh. “But here I am.”Also the Senior Center has operated under the threat of closure for several years, now relying almost solely on grants for its existence. While Bisignani has budgeted $190,255 for the Council on Aging for Fiscal Year 2010, the director’s salary does take a hit, dropping from $47,868 to a proposed $42,385, which puts it below even 2006 levels.Council on Aging President Richard Barry agreed that Olsen was a natural choice and is excited not only about her appointment, but also about the team that follows her.While Olsen slides into Rigol’s job, Laurie Davis, who works at the center part time as the bookkeeper, will fill Olsen’s slot and Lynette Terrazzano, who works part time coordinating trips, will pick up Davis’ former duties.”It will be business as usual,” Barry said. “It will be very good. Laurie’s talented, this will be a very effective team. Are we going to miss a beat? No.”Barry, however, said it would be sad to see Rigol go.After 20 years with the center, Barry said Rigol decided to stop by Bisignani’s office one morning to check on her retirement and decided to put her notice in.Barry said what struck him most regarding Rigol was the kindness she showed to all seniors.”She’s been very good,” Bisignani agreed. “It’s a very good staff down there.”Olsen said while she is excited by her new job title, she isn’t ready to completely let go of her old job either. As grant writer, public relations director and newsletter and flier publisher, Olsen wore a lot of hats.”I don’t want to lose the ability to do all of that,” she said. “I am excited though. I do know all the people and it will be a change from what I do now.”