Commission on Aging
Minutes of Regular Meeting
Monday January 24, 2011
The Commission on Aging held a regular meeting on Monday, January 24, 2011 at the Senior Center, 14 Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, CT. Chairman Thomas Dwyer called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
Members Present: Thomas Dwyer, Karin Aurelia, Carol Mattegat, Joan Plouffe, Anna Wiedemann, James Bernardi.
Members Excused: LeReine Frampton, Mary Ellen Lydem.
Support & Advisory Present: Marilyn Place, Director of Senior Services, Bob Sharpe of the Senior Action Committee.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. There was no public present.
CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. See “New Business.”
MINUTES The minutes of the regular meeting of November 15, 2010 were unanimously accepted as presented.
TREASURER?S REPORT: Mrs. Aurelia distributed copies of the January 4, 2011 Senior Services Year-To-Date Budget Report prepared by the Finance Department (copy attached to original minutes) and noted that the balance in the COA?s Gift Fund presently stands at $41,534.26 with the Trip Account at $0. Mr. Dwyer pointed out that, at our request, the Finance Department has noted at the top of the budget report that it applies to Senior Services, not to the COA which is what they showed on the past.
DIRECTOR OF SENIOR SERVICES REPORT (Attachment B to original minutes). The Commission commended Mrs. Place for her work on the Christmas Party, which had a great turnout. Mr. Dwyer and Mr. Bernardi received a call from the Danbury News Times concerning preparation of income tax returns. There are instruction kits available at the Senior Center and there will be volunteers to assist in preparation of tax returns. The AARP driving class will be one day instead of two days as in previous years. Mrs. Place is working with Liz Stocker to apply for a grant to replace the van. The grant award is up to $40,000. The Highway Department Car Pool budget has an amount of $50,000 for the van replacement in addition to the $40,000 grant. The van will not be received for another one and a half years if the grant is approved. The
proposed budget has no increase from last year’s budget except for HART. The staff is facilitating some classes so that teachers’ expenses are decreased for these classes. Nancy Giarratano is working at the Senior Center as a temp for three hours per day in the medical absence of Mary Kelley.
MUNICIPAL AGENT FOR THE ELDERLY REPORT. Mrs. Piccini was not present.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
NEW BUILDING. No report.
NEW~ BUSINESS: Mr. Dwyer gave Mrs. Wiedemann information he had obtained about a guidebook to facilities in Northern Fairfield County of interest to seniors that can be ordered free from its publishers. He suggested that this might be helpful to her when preparing a similar guidebook for Newtown seniors that she was planning to do. He also gave her a copy of a page from the 2009 Newtown telephone book that was a brief guide to seniors about local facilities of benefit to them and pointed out that it was not included in the 2010 book.~
Mr. Dwyer noted that the Executive Director of Nunnawauk Meadows, Mr. DeLucia, is retiring.
Mr. Dwyer gave Mrs. Aurelia the information that he had received concerning the Frank Knott Trust Fund’s distribution to the Commission on Aging Gift Fund. The money is distributed quarterly to the Gift Fund and the current total is approximately $2,000 per year".
Mr. Dwyer asked the Commissioners to think about replacements for the vacancies and open positions. He will ask the First Selectman’s office to advertise weekly in The Bee for all vacancies.
ADJOURNMENT. Upon motion of Mrs. Wiedemann, the meeting adjourned at 5:31 p.m.
Ann M. Mazur, Clerk
| 
