Who We Are

We are a senior 55-plus Manufactured Home Community and with the cost of homeownership soaring out of control we have secured a peace of mind for the residents today and tomorrow, amazed at what this community has accomplished with the help of Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) and ROC USA, LLC, we purchased and took control of our Desitny.

It takes a village to successfully become a resident owned community. The conversion of Jo-Len Village to a senior resident owned community would not have been possible without the support and trust of the residents and the leadership of the Jo-Len Residents Association. The Board of Directors would like to thank Carelle Carter, Chris Janunas, Chuck Morelli, Mark and Lisa Maksander, Steve Peck, Phil DiBuono, and all the residents who attended the membership and board meetings. Without their contributions, this would not have been possible.  

A 55-plus community is an active adult community designed to serve residents who are at least 55 years old. It might legally restrict residents by age, which is allowed under the federal Housing for Older Persons Act of 1995 (HOPA) https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_act_housing_older_persons or it might simply feature amenities designed to attract older, active adults.  It is not an assisted living or continuing care retirement community, which often has apartments within a multilevel building, banquet dining, and skilled nursing care. 

Communities for adults 55 and older have been popular in recent years, and industry experts anticipate that the trend will continue because they expect many of the nation’s 73 million baby boomers to move over the next decade in order to downsize, change geographic locations, relocate to a walkable community, or purchase a new residence for some other reason. And by 2060, nearly one-quarter of Americans will be age 65 or older, according to the Population Reference Bureau. In most cases, an online search will turn up various active 55 and older adult communities in your area. Many results will be for third-party websites that want to collect your personal information in exchange for providing details and pricing. These sites get paid for referrals, which means they may contain incomplete listings of your options. Other sites freely provide addresses, listing prices, square footage, and photos, then direct you to contact an agent for more details — similar to any other real estate website.

Senior 55 and older communities operate a little differently than other types of senior living.

A senior resident owned community is a nonprofit corporation. Residents in good standing have "a vote" on budgets, lot fees, 
capital improvements and park common spaces infrastructures and land collectively with the other residents. Think of it like the community (members) buy stock in a corporation and become shareholders and vote in a Board of Directors to run the day-to-day operations of the organization voted by members approving yearly fiscal budgets.

Becoming a vetted (credit verification) resident member requires two costs: a one-time membership fee and a monthly lot fee.
Part of the monthly fee covers members share of the principal and interest payable to our mortgage lenders. 

Where our other monthly fees go towards:

Property taxes
Parking space and lot
Water and sewer service
Trash and recycling removal.
Lawn care, landscaping, and snow removal (common area)
Property maintenance (common area)
Management services
Access to shared spaces and amenities (Village Hall)
Fund reserve.
A fund reserve helps the association to afford replacements and repairs cost on lots and common spaces of a village, and or for future projects called capital improvements which all are voted in by members in good standing on both the capital improvement and administrative budgets, for example, security, paving roadways, driveways, tree maintenance, streetlights etc.

You have as a member occupancy rights as long as you pay your monthly lot fees and comply with rule compliances. Stop paying lot fees or non-compliance can “force sell” your membership.

On a side note, did you know it's becoming increasingly popular in Seniors researching more affordable and accessible independent living options, and senior resident owned cooperatives tend to prioritize the well-being of residents over making a profit.

A study from Ohio State University also suggests that seniors who live in resident owned communities live well. The majority of residents felt that life in a co-op had a positive effect on the following: 9

Ease of maintaining a mobile home: 93 percent
Ability to live independently: 84 percent
Personal safety: 82 percent
Life satisfaction: 80 percent
Access to activities and entertainment: 77 percent
Happiness: 77 percent
Amount of contact with friends: 77 percent
Personal privacy: 67 percent
Physical health: 63 percent

At the Jo-Len Village, you will find that this community of great neighbors have unique opportunities to follow their interests, share their gifts, explore ideas, and help shape their community making it one of New England's best places to reside.

 So, if you're interested in knowing little more about our 55 plus resident owned community, please don't hesitate to communicate with us directly.

Board of Directors

Every member of our board of directors is a thought leader who has made significant contributions to our society. 

Each one brings a unique set of skills and expertise to our organization. 

Marc Maksander

Mr. Maksander serves as Chair of the Organization since the beginning of 2022. In 2019 he was voted in as VP by the organization's members when the company was about to get incorporated. Marc stayed as VP for a short term and came back as Director of Operations for a 2-year term for our Association. Marc directed and supervised many successful projects for the Village, including the budgeting, planning, and digital infrastructures for our cooperative, its members and BOD under a pandemic. Marc is also President of his own IT company. 

Mary Shea

Mrs. Shea is our VP since 2019 and an honorary member of our community and board. Mary brings many years of experience in corporate sales and PR to our Association. Mary played a crucial role in helping with the negotiation's in purchasing our village, hence becoming resident owned.

Cathy Ebell

Ms. Ebell is our Secretary since 2022. Cathy started in 2021 as our Membership Director and has single handedly improved many aspects of memberships direction in processing, vetting, organizing her committee for new prospects and various membership new protocols and procedures for our organization. Cathy brings many years of experience as a corporate secretary to our Association and is key player that brings valuable organizational skill sets / procedures to our cooperative.

Pat Breault

Ms. Breault is our Treasurer since 2019 and brings many years of experience in corporate finance to our Association. Pat works in finance for a corporation and has been very successful in maintaining payroll for that company. Pat also played a crucial role in helping with the negotiation's in purchasing our village in becoming resident owned.

Sue Morelli

Mrs. Morelli has served successfully as the Secretary of the company since 2019. In 2022 Sue was elected lead Director of the Charter and Bylaws and brings many years of governance to our Association. Sue also played a crucial role in helping with the negotiation's in purchasing our village in becoming resident owned.

Kerry DiBuono

Mrs. DiBuono is our Director of Communication since 2023 and brings many years of Public Relations experience and also has the ability to conceptualize innovative marketing / public relations strategies and lead teams throughout campaign executions for social program launches. Kerry brings ambitious communication plans, combined with the ability to motivate teams and foster enduring relationships for our Village.

Jim Hardy

Mr. Hardy is our Director of Operation / Compliance.  Jim has worked closely with law enforcements agencies in the past, and also did compliance and maintenance on properties, he is an asset to our Village.

Our Property Management  KayT Enterprises

KayT Enterprises is a full-service company with the experience and expertise to handle every aspect of managing and maintaining our Association. Thier dedicated team understands the complexities of property management, working with the BOD and its members from day-to-day tasks to the most challenging requirements. Home (kay-t.us)

Our Consultants

CDI (Cooperative Development Institute)

CDI is a regional 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 1994 by co-op leaders in the Northeast. Cooperative Development Institute’s mission is to build a cooperative economy through the creation and development of successful cooperative enterprises. We are transforming ownership of our economy, so all people can meet their basic needs. Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) – Cooperative Development Institute

Become a ROC

In a resident-owned community (ROC), homeowners form a non-profit business called a cooperative. Each household is a Member of the cooperative, which owns the land and manages the business that is the community. Members continue to own their own homes individually and an equal share of the land beneath the entire neighborhood. want to learn more please visit Home - ROC USA®

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