Salem Council on Aging
Minutes of Meeting
Date and Time: Wednesday, November 17, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Meeting Location: Parks and Recreation Dept., 5 Broad St.
Members Present: Chairwoman Pat Donahue, Dolores Nangle, Pamela Greaves, Jane Sarnowski, , Elaine Heredeen, Joan Lovely
Members Absent: Alice William, Domingo Alvarez, Donna Clifford
Others Present: William Woolley, Director COA and Doug Bollen, Director of
Parks & Recreation, Teasie Riley-Goggin
Recorder: Stacy Kilb
Chairwoman Donahue calls the meeting to order at 6:35PM.
1. PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
Minutes from the Oct. 20, 2010 meeting are reviewed. EH a motion to waive a reading of the minutes is, seconded by PG, and the motion passes unanimously. A motion to accept the minutes is made by EH, seconded by JS, and all are in favor.
2. COMMENTS/RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE CHAIRPERSON
Pat Donahue has some issues to discuss. She compliments Doug and Bill on creating the Emergency Preparedness Plan. PD discusses her experience at the lab at Salem Hospital and the fire drills there. Woolley says they do not do fire drills regularly but have discussed starting a fire drill. PD would like to have fire drills; despite being difficult they are important for planning purposes. They were educated on how to use fire extinguishers. She would like to see more education on how to exit in case of fire. She would also like to complement the meeting places and places of assembly with having a daily roster of who is in the building to make sure everyone has escaped. PD reminds everyone of how at the mall the alarms go off, and people ignore them. She goes over the PASS mnemonic-
pull-aim-squeeze-spray (an acronym to remember how to use a fire extinguisher.)
PG thinks that there should be a way to help people down from the 3rd floor if the elevator cannot be used. There is a procedure outlined in the plan and an employee will be assigned to go to the 3rd floor if no one is there. Erin Griffin and Meagan Murtagh created the plan.
PD also went to the Friends of COA meeting; they have more than $24,000 and made and passed a motion that anyone that requests funds through COA must go make the request to the Director Doug Bollen and he will submit to Pat Donahue the liaison who then submits it to the Friends. They are also interested in the December COA meeting, which is the annual meeting. They would like a formal invitation.
PD reminds the COA that the first part of the meeting is the annual meeting and members will be elected. She wonders if the bylaws should be re-evaluated since they're not following it. September would be the annual meeting next time around.
She read the Annual Report, with particular regard to the Senior Center, and was encouraged by participation of seniors in Thanksgiving and Snowshoe races.
PG comments on the Friends Group and the Triad - they are out of Files for Life folders, and they cost 80 cents each and she will ask Doug to write a letter to present to the friends. The amount will be calculated. They meet Dec. 8th so it needs to get done before then.
3. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/Assistant Director
Doug Bollen reports.
The Wild Turkey Race has many more entries this year - of 1268 last entries year, 1178 actually raced, and over 1000 are signed up as of right now. They will run the statistics for age breakdowns after the race again. This is the race's 7th year and numbers have gone up each year. The course was changed this year and we could see up to 1500 entries. The fee is split between Parks & Recreation and the Boys and Girls Club. As of last year they split $20K. There are many sponsors and runners pay $20 pre-registration, or $24 registration the day-of. There are more sponsors but less money per sponsor this year. Bollen has put on a race series of 6 races in the city, which he describes. If a runner runs all 6 races, they get a prize (fleece, sweatshirt, etc.) There are now
250 members of the Wicked Running Club. Running clinics are also popular.
- New Senior Center
Bollen; Monday's meeting was cancelled (it was to be an interior design meeting) and will be reschedule to Nov 29.
He spoke to Paul Lanzikos about representation on the NS Elder Services Board. There are two people from Salem -17 total serve on the board, and the two from our City are John Boris and Trish Cornacchio. They can serve two, 3-year terms; John will probably resign due to health reasons, and Doug asked who picked the next person, it's the mayor's decision; it is up to each town as to how they pick. It is an active board and one of the two must be over 60. There is an orientation coming in December. It is good for those Board members to come to our COA meetings; sometimes they do but not very often.
Bollen asks if our bylaws state that the COA Board selects somebody; the board of Directors will annually elect, prior to its Sept. meeting, someone to represent the COA on the NSES Board. The bylaws may need to be revised if the mayor selects this person, as Paul said.
Tomorrow is the Turkey Dinner at the High School; 150 seniors are signed up. Golden Tones sing there; the school has a group that plays also. Tomorrow at 1:30 the Dept. will close for customer service training for employees.
Tax Abatement: Sandy is filled with 25 requests; it is first come first served, but Doug may ask for an increase since participation is rising to Mayor and City Council. People have volunteered and even gotten jobs out of it. She is starting to get requests for shoveling and is also looking for more people to do the shoveling.
-Activities, Transportation, Social Service & Nutrition update
" Transportation for Oct. 2009 was 1355 one -way rides. 1433 one-way rides were provided in Oct. 2010.
" Nutrition - 240 congregate meals were served in October 2009. 601 meals were served in Oct. 2010.
" Meals on wheels - In 2009 - 1923 were served; the figure was 2049 for 2010.
" Social Service Dept. - For Oct '09, 287 people over 60 were serviced 415 times; 14 people under 60 were serviced 27 times. In Oct. 2010 287 people over the age of 60 were serviced 397 times; 13 people under 60 were serviced 20 times.
-Special events, Grant updates, Projects
The Halloween Party on Oct. 28th had 45 seniors attending; the shopping Trip to NY had 53 people. 34 attended the Salem High School Black Cat Café on the 29th
There were 2 trips to the North Shore Music Theater to see "A Chorus Line;" it was a good show. They will go again Dec. 1st; 10 are signed up for "A Christmas Carol."
A new exercise program will meet Mondays at 10:30 w/Sue Finnegan; 115 seniors will go to the high school tomorrow. The Senior Center is accepting donations for the troops.
Meagan is looking for more pen pals for the intergenerational program with Bowditch 5th grade students. There will be a get-together in December.
Upcoming events include:
Sun. Feb 20, - "The Lion King" in Providence.
Apr. 9 - The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
A Monday in May - Red Sox vs. Toronto, in Toronto.
July 13 - Cruise aboard the Spirit of Boston
Bourne Festival
Cape Cod Canal
NY City trip next Dec.
Bright Lights-Forest Park Springfield
Wii competition vs. Beverly on Monday
Woolley discusses the recent, and now local, bedbug infestations, especially the one just discovered in the apartment complex here. The Board of Health sent out an advisory pamphlet; they will be available to meals on wheels drivers and to van drivers.. The information is available. PD says all they talk about in the media is using beagles to find them but at the elderly housing unit they will be using high heat through the air ducts; no one has gone over what the general population can do about it. One piece of advice is to put luggage in the tub when returning home after travel.
Woolley says they are trying to "restore" or "re-establish" a piece of transportation policy. Some seniors have been abusing the system and waiting for a call to check in rather than being ready when their ride arrives. They want passengers to be responsive. If the driver is not there within the 15 minutes before or after, they can call to find out where the driver is. Flyers will be sent out to remind riders of the policy. PD suggests reminding them by highlighting that part of the policy, which will be accentuated. Signs will also be posted in the vans and it will be in the newsletter. The practice of calling has already stopped - it is a retraining process.
There will be a volunteer appreciation event on Dec. 15 from 10-12noon; Bill Woolley will be Santa Claus again. The hosting of NS Community College nursing students ends this week; they hosted 30 students.
The Spanish outreach program has highlights each week. Work at Voces with regards to a blind Spanish speaking immigrant is discussed. Woolley is also giving computer lessons in Spanish at the Senior Center.
The open house for Spanish-speaking seniors is Dec. 8th, and the fiesta will be on the 9th.
Myseniorcenter will include a Spanish language interface. The one-page Spanish newsletter is still being published monthly and they are hoping for a 3rd year of grant funding for the Service Incentive grant. PD asks if there is any other minority group that attends that speaks another language, but there isn't. There are Russian meals on wheels recipients but no one at the Center. Our Senior center has a reputation for immigrant outreach; Woolley outlines examples.
Meagan and he attended a workshop on Suicide and Aging last week in Middleton. There are numbers for the NS area; he will share them after the meeting. There is a bigger incidence among elderly than any other age group per 100K people. Why and how to recognize the signs, etc. were discussed.
Woolley is interviewing another candidate from the Senior Network (National). He describes the candidate. PD commends Woolley for his efforts at outreach.
The walking club will be doing the Turkey Race.
4. TREASURER'S REPORT
Nothing is outstanding on the treasury report. With regards to Title C and the NS Elders cuts - we can handle our cuts; some other centers are fighting back and not accepting cuts. Bollen and Woolley are already planning what to do next year in the case of further cuts - they are committed to not losing any programs or services; cuts thus far have been largely unnoticed, though staff members are feeling more pressure.
PD accepts the Treasurer's report as is.
5. COMMITTEE REPORTS
6. OTHER BUSINESS
Doug reminds Pat he will write a letter for the next Friends of COA meeting on Dec. 8th for Files of Life. There are no other comments.
Greaves says the Ward 2 social club had a nice meal.
7. VISITOR COMMENTS
8. NEXT BOARD MEETING will be on Wednesday, December 15, 2010
9. VOTE TO ADJOURNMENT
A motion to adjourn is made by Dolores Nangle, seconded by Elaine Heredeen, and passes unanimously.
The meeting ends at 7:45pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Stacy Kilb
Clerk, Council on Aging
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