By Mark Brackenbury
New Haven Register
SEYMOUR, Conn. — A town oversight board said Seymour Ambulance Association is in excellent fiscal condition, following a six-year effort to pay off a $400,000 debt and improve its public image.
“It feels really good to be where we are today,” SAA Executive Director Scott Andrews said. “We’ve been working hard over the last six years to get everything in order and get to a point where the town doesn’t have to worry about whether Seymour Ambulance Association is going to be financially stable.”
Andrews took over the nonprofit agency in 2005. Since that time, at least four paid positions have been eliminated, some debts were renegotiated and better accounting practices were implemented, he said.
SAA came under fire in 2005 when former state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal investigated alleged mismanagement by former Director Frank Marcucio and his now- ex-wife, June. A lawsuit claimed the Marcucios misused more than $120,000 in SAA grants and charitable funds for personal use, including vacations.
The lawsuit was settled in 2008, and the Marcucios agreed to pay an $18,000 penalty to the state and $17,000 to Seymour Ambulance, but denied all allegations of misappropriations.
Once the allegations came to light, the town appointed a commission to monitor SAA’s operations.
At this week’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Michele Pavlik, chairwoman of the Emergency Management Services Oversight Commission, gave a glowing semi-annual report of the continued progress. Pavlik also suggested the commission meet less frequently, because of the major strides made.
“I think (SAA) has come such a long way, and that says a lot,” Pavlik said. “They are on solid financial ground.”
Andrews said attaining fiscal stability wasn’t easy.
“It was a long and tedious process that involved the entire organization putting forth our best efforts and the town supporting those efforts,” Andrews said.
Andrews said the organization has taken on new debt so it can buy new ambulances and equipment, but “we make sure that we purchase within our means.”
“I believe a large part of our success has been in developing a strong relationship with the town and working with all of the agencies within the town,” he said.
Continuing to maintain a strong presence in town has also been helpful in gaining the public’s confidence, Andrews said, including holding CPR and safe baby-sitter classes, and appearing at events such as Founders Day and the Pumpkin Festival.
“We have a great group of people here that really care about providing good patient care to our residents and that shows in the positive comments, cards and letters that we have received from patients and their families,” Andrews said.
Copyright 2011 Journal Register Co.