Salem Council on Aging
Board of Directors
Minutes from meeting of Sept. 16, 2009
Meeting was called to order by Vice Chair Pat Donahue, at 6:35 p.m.
Roll call
Present: Donna Clifford (DC), Pat Donahue (vice chair, PD), Elaine Heredeen (treasurer; EH), Dolores Nangle (DN), Jane Sarnowski (JS).
Absent: Domingo Alvarez, James Willis, Joan Lovely (City Council liaison to the COA).
KW: Mentions an error in the minutes of the May 20, 2009, meeting, noting that discussion of the Senior Volunteer Property Tax Workoff Program includes a reference to income eligibility as being expressed in monthly terms, when it should be an annual figure. “WW responds with estimates, roughly $32,000 monthly for individual and $42,000 monthly for a couple” should be amended to read, “WW responds with estimates, roughly $32,000 annually for individual and $42,000 annually for a couple.”
EH: Makes a motion to dispense with a reading of the minutes from the meeting of June, 17, 2009, (the most recent meeting) and to accept them; seconded by PD; unanimously approved.
PD: Notes that, in minutes of the June meeting, during discussion of Standards of Independence and Behavior at the Senior Center, types of pets allowed in the building seemed to have been an unresolved issue. WW: Explains that only certified service dogs would be allowed.
DB: Notes that the September COA board meeting is usually reserved for an annual meeting, but that an annual meeting would be appropriately delayed until the Mayoral appointment of a new chairperson. The willingness of some board members to continue serving needs to be determined, as well.
DC: Asks how many absences of a board member are allowed before no longer being accorded a seat on the board.
PD: Says the board can’t ask someone if they want to continue serving on the board after three absences., adding they shouldn’t be allowed to continue.
DB: Pledges to keep the board posted on prospective new members.
DB: A custodian has been working on stripping the floor in the Senior Center dining room, but there are many coats of wax and that it has taken hours to make minimal progress. A professional floor cleaning company will be considered to complete the job.
DB: The COA is still waiting to hear about receipt of $70,000, from the federal government through the office of Cong. John F. Tierney, which was committed to the purchase of new van, along with $30,000 of municipal funds. The COA should be able to purchase two vans when the money is received.
DB: The new fall/winter recreation booklets have been printed and delivered to the post office in Salem. They will be delivered by the USPS next week. The cost of the booklet is not at all covered by municipal tax dollars. It is funded by advertisements in the booklet and through activity registration fees in the department’s revolving account. Approximately $1,800 in ads were sold for the current booklet.
DB: Bill Woolley has completed grant applications for fiscal year 2010, including the State Formula Grant (mostly for funding a full-time social worker position and a part-time bilingual receptionist position), Title III-B (transportation), and Title III-C (nutrition).
DB: There have been challenges in staffing necessitated by an $80,000 municipal budget cut. Lynne Barrett has been shifted to a full-time social work position, and changes have affected the responsibilities of Recreation Supervisor Eileen Dunn, Meghan Murtagh, Volunteer Coordinator Sandy George and the custodian (40 hours to 28 hours).
DB: The COA will host a flu clinic at the Senior Center on October 7, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
DB: Sandy George is working on a Lojack-type program designed to enable authorities to track elderly citizens who may be prone to wander. Participants wear a bracelet that will facilitate electronic tracking.
DB: The COA writers group has published a second volume of “Personal Perspectives of a Changing Salem,” which is available for sale at the Senior Center for $19.95.
DB: Friends of the Salem COA donated a new TV set for the dining room at the Senior Center.
DB: There are currently 24 participants in the Senior Volunteer Property Tax Workoff Program. They can volunteer as many as 93 hours to earn as much as $750 credit on their property tax bill. There can be as many as 25 participants completing such service over the course of a fiscal year.
DB: The department has benefitted greatly from the employment of Jesenia Morales, whose summer work was entirely funded through a federal jobs program. She will remain employed with the department through September.
DB: The Operation: ABLE job transition program for people 55 years of age and older is undergoing reorganization, but the COA nutrition program has been able to retain two workers (20 hours a week each) to support the nutrition program and do some custodial work.
DB: Statistics include:
Transportation
July 2008 (1,188 rides) ... July 2009 (1,337 rides)
August 2008 (1,483 rides) ... August 2009 (1,280 rides)
Nutrition, home delivered meals
July 2008 (2,397) ... July 2009 (2,188)
August 2008 (2,328) ... August 2009 (2,172)
Nutrition, congregate meals
July 2008 (422) ... July 2009 (412)
August 2008 (304) ... August 2009 (271)
Note: A new caterer will be taking over in October.
Social work
July/August 2008, served 347 clients, 60 years of age or older, a total of 619 times.
July/August 2009, served 409 clients, 60 years of age or older, a total of 689 times.
July/August 2008, served 20 clients, under 60 years of age, a total of 22 times.
July/August 2009, served 21 clients, under 60 years of age, a total of 34 times.
DB: Upcoming programs include: participation in the Halloween parade; a Topsfield Fair trip, a Halloween party, Zumba Gold, painting classes, digital camera class, and ongoing activities. The COA staff helped support the efforts of the Salem Senior Recognition Days Committee, and hosted a cultural competency workshop (June) and a fiesta at Forest River Park (July).
PD: Asks about Nutrition Coordinator Ellen Kennedy’s recent effort to provide new, more healthful breakfast food options.
DB: As toaster is available now, with English muffins. Also, breads and pastries are occasionally donated by Ziggy’s and A.J. King Artisan Bakery.
WW: Ellen Kennedy has also been in contact with SYSCO food suppliers for additional options and pledges to update the board, in that regard, at the next meeting.
DN: Notes that senior citizens who congregate at the Senior Center during breakfast time are being encouraged to stand up and walk around a while, as part of an effort to promote physical activity.
WW: Requests collaboration with COA board members to discuss state laws that govern the use of municipal resources (equipment, supplies, staff) in support of private organizations, like Friends of the Salem Council on Aging and the Salem Senior Recognition Days Committee, and how they should be applied.
Lucille St. Cyr (liaison to the COA board, representing Friends of the Salem Council on Aging): Notes that discussion of such matters makes it seem like the Council on Aging wants to benefit from her group’s support, but doesn’t want to offer any support in return. Friends groups in other communities are fully supported by their COAs.
DB, WW, DC, PD: Concur that the COA appreciates the efforts of the Friends group and wants to do whatever it can to provide support, as long as it is within the limits established by Massachusetts General Law and enforced by the state Ethic Commission.
DC: Notes that the relationship of the COA to the Friends group is governed in a way similar to the relationship between of the public schools to their Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs). There are understandable limits on the extent to which public school resources can be used to support the PTO, as a private organization.
DB: Notes that situations involving laws governing the relationship of municipal agencies and private concerns come into play almost every day.
DN: Asks if the efforts of Bill Woolley, three years ago, to help the Friends group become revitalized, were in violation of the law in question. The question implies that if his efforts were allowed at that time, similar efforts should be allowed on an ongoing basis.
WW: Notes that his past efforts to help revitalize the Friends group were probably, in fact, a violation of the law.
PD, DC, EH: Express willingness to assist Bill Woolley in future discussions about how the law should be applied by the COA.
WW: Pledges to provide copies of the applicable law for board members’ consideration.
KW: Asks for a motion to adjourn.
EH: So moved.
DC: Seconded.
Passed unanimously.
Meeting adjourned at 8 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by Bill Woolley, having taken minutes at the request of COA board.
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