HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Conference Room – Senior Center
Present:
Rev. Dr. Jerry Heslinga; Barbara Anger; Faye Ellis; Al Ferron; Jacqueline Kelly; Jim Robinson; Louise Charbonneau; Maureen Buffone; Cheryl Owoc.
The minutes from the September 1, 2011 meeting were approved and accepted.
F.H.C.O.A. REPORT ~ Barbara Anger
Barbara reported that the account balances as of October 31, 2011 are as follows:
Commerce Bank $11,449.87
Leominster Credit Union $4,625.85
Leominster Credit Union C.D. $23,418.38
The Friends Fair is in place for this Saturday and all tables are sold.
HELP AT HOME REPORT ~ Jim Robinson
Jim reported that the Senior Center opened as a shelter during the power outage on Sunday from 6:00 A.M. until late afternoon, when the power was restored.
Jim gave an update of the Help at Home activity since July. There was a transfer in the amount of $2,000.00 from the Welcome Aldrich Relief Fund to the Help at H.O.M.E. Fund, to be used on an as-needed basis. Deposits totaled $641.68, and quarterly interest totaled $41.68. There was one (1) disbursement for assistance for 100 gallons of oil. Current combined balance is $20,424.67. Jim anticipates the activity to be stepping up. This year’s goal has been set at $20,000.00. Residents of the town continue to be generous.
There was confusion last year about where donations should be deposited. For purposes of clarity, deposits will continue to be made to Help at H.O.M.E. Jerry made a resolution to deposit funds to Help at H.O.M.E., which was moved by Barbara Anger, and seconded by Faye Ellis.
The Help at H.O.M.E. banner was destroyed last year by wind. The message board in front of the Bank of America building will be used for advertising.
Cheryl reported that 39 requests for help have been received so far this year. There are currently three (3) cases open and being worked on, and one (1) is in the process of being paid.
BOARD OF ELDER SERVICES REPORT ~ Richard Mansfield
No representation.
DIRECTOR’S REPORT ~ Louise Charbonneau
Louise distributed copies of the FY2011 Annual Report.
Grief Support
Our grief support group has asked to continue through the holidays. They are going to continue and open it up to new people as well. This second part of the group will start on November 15th. Where it will go after that is still unknown. Louise’s hope is that it will become a drop-in session open to everyone.
Book Discussion Group
Our new book discussion group will begin on Thursday, November 10th at 10:00 a.m. It is being facilitated by Cheryl. They will be discussing the book Water for Elephants by Susan Gruen.
Special Meal With A Special Guest
We are trying something a little different this month. On Thursday, November 10th the staff is cooking lunch and hosting a guest speaker. Lunch will be served at noon and will cost $4.00. Our speaker will be Police Chief George Sherrill. He will speak briefly on subjects concerning elders and the HPD and will answer any and all questions pertaining to the same subject.
New Phone System
The town will be installing a new phone system in all of the town offices hopefully sometime in the month of November. When the change over occurs our Main Line into the Senior Center will be 508-210-5570. We will have extensions 5571-5579 assigned either to specific staff members as well as the fax machine and the kitchen. We will keep you updated via e-mail as to when the change occurs.
Changes In Office Locations
We have found that some changes in where personnel are located have become the wise thing to do. When the building was built 10 years ago our staff was smaller. Now we have in some ways outgrown our space. To that end we are considering moving the transportation office to the Computer Lab. The Lab will stay in tact and we will still offer classes, once we find an instructor. While we hold classes, Naomi will to come up to the main office and sit at either Paula or Cheryl’s desk. Clare will move to the space outside of my office that is presently occupied by Naomi. Paula and Cheryl will remain in the office they are currently in – Cheryl will move to the desk now occupied by Clare. The other ½ of the office will be utilized by either equipment or frequently used
storage.
Field Trip To Northborough
In September, Louise and Maureen took a short road trip to the Northboro Senior Center. They had been given a newspaper article about the “Bistro” that had opened there, so they went to give it a try and see how successful it was. They had a delicious lunch and spent time with their Director, Kelly Burke. They do not have a typical congregate meal as we do here, but rather have a selection of sandwiches, burgers, etc. each day that are prepared by volunteers. They also open one night a week and serve supper with the help of a local caterer. Both the daily lunches and the weekly supper are open to the public. They average 30 a day for lunch. Kelly also provided them with sample menus which Louise has, if any of you would like to see them. She said the Friends gave
them $1000.00 start up money. Now the Friends have hired a site manager to oversee the project which seems to be quite successful.
Some Statistics From October
Greendale Men’ Chorus – 32
Ken Lelen Concert – 37
Ruth Harcovicz – 62
Legal Series – Hospice – 43
Flu Shots – 189
Public Power Week Luncheon – 144 – I wasn’t much help this year after spraining my ankle 2 days before. A special thank you needs to go to Adam Hickey, Dan Deptula and Jim Ringgard of the DPW – our staff stepped up to the plate as they always do and gave 200% - Theresa Montoya and Paula Howell from the light department who came early to help; my sister Linda who was here all day and provided help and motivation, and Jacquie who came and served.
Future Dates
Mountview Breakfast – Tuesday, Dec. 6
Senior Center Christmas Party – Monday, Dec. 12
Wachusett Area Rotary Breakfast – Saturday, Dec. 17
OLD BUSINESS
Jim updated the board on the Code Red System which has been implemented by the town.
NEW BUSINESS
An Amendment to June 2, 2011 Holden Council on Aging Minutes was made. The Minutes from the June 2, 2011 have been amended to include the Proposed Transfer of Funds, prepared by Jim Robinson, from the Welcome Aldrich Relief Fund to the Help at H.O.M.E. account. The Council on Aging members voted unanimously to approve the transfer of funds as outlined in the proposal. A copy of the Proposed Transfer of Funds has been incorporated into the Minutes of June 2, 2011 and is attached hereto.
Louise passed out a copy of Worcester Community Action Council’s letter announcing no fuel assistance. It was noted that since receiving the letter, some monies for full assistance have been made available.
Paula is anticipating more Welcome Aldrich requests, with cuts in fuel assistance and is asking for some leeway in cases where 2 out of 3 board members cannot be reached for approval. It was decided that Paula and Cheryl can decide on 100 gallons, just to get by in an emergency.
CITIZENS’ ADDRESS
None.
ADJOURNMENT
It was unanimously voted to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 a.m.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. at the Holden Senior Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Maureen Buffone
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