Salem Council on Aging
Minutes of the regular meeting on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 6 p.m., at the office of the Council, 5 Broad St., Salem, Mass.
Board of Directors
Present: Pat Donahue (PD, Chair), Elaine Heredeen (EH, Vice Chair), Donna Clifford (DC, Secretary), Dolores Nangle (DN, Treasurer), Julie Carver (JC), Loretta Carroll (LC)
Absent: Pamela Greaves, Jerry Ryan (City Council Liaison), Alice Williams
Also Present: Doug Bollen (DB), Bill Woolley (BW), Sharon Kearney (recording secretary), Teasie Riley-Goggin and Pat Liberti (visitors from the Friends of the Salem COA).
1. Minutes of Previous Meeting
PD: Asks for a motion to waive reading and accept the minutes of the previous meeting of Wednesday, May 26, 2012.
EH: Makes motion.
JC: Seconds
VOTE: Unanimously approved.
2. Comments/Recommendations of the Chairperson
The Chairman will discuss committee work being done by Board members in regard to surveying other COAs to determine how they handle fee structures, political campaigning and guest speakers.
PD:
- Nominating Committee officers need to pick a date to meet and create a list for open-floor nominations of new officers in September.
- In the copy of the COA bylaws I have, Section No. 5 should have been eliminated, making No. 6 the new No. 5. I want to be sure everyone has the most recent copy of the bylaws.
Committee Reports – Report on information gathered from surveying other COAs on policies.
JC: Called the Falmouth COA- Falmouth does not allow any type of solicitation. Just like Beverly.
EH: Yes, Beverly COA – does not allow candidates to campaign in the building at all.
3. Report of the Executive Director/Assistant Director
DB:
- Meghan Murtagh passed her Massachusetts Council on Aging certification as a Program Manager. Only six people were certified to become Program Managers.
- The purchase of three computers through Dell has been initiated.
- New Van Update: We are waiting for an invoice from Merrimack Valley Regional Transportation Authority.
- Attendance Report: Transportation, social services and nutrition attendance report
May Statistics |
|
|
|
|
|
Service |
May 2011 |
May 2012 |
Joined Council on Aging |
32 |
69 |
Social services, 60 and older |
144 serviced 327 times |
173 services 434 times |
Social services, under 60 |
11 services 18 times |
20 serviced 27 times |
Activities |
1,448 |
1,502 |
Transportation |
1,451 |
1,378 |
Meals, congregate |
567 |
734 |
Meals on Wheels |
1,948 |
2,610 |
- Transportation is down, which is surprising because demand has generally been going up over the past years. Congregate meals and Meals on Wheels are up.
Activities – Update on programs and special events in June.
Friends of the Salem Council on Aging will host a spaghetti supper June 21 at the Moose Family Center. Tickets are $7, and will be sold only at the Senior Center.
*Senior Week Activities
House of Seven Gables
Date: Sat. Aug 4 though Sun. Aug 12
The House of Seven Gables will be offering Seniors & their families 20% off admission during Heritage Days. A valid I.D with proof of age is residency is required.
Kick off - Ice Cream Social
Date: Monday, Aug. 6
Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Place: Senior Center, 5 Broad Street.
This is a free event and is open to all Salem Seniors.
Winter Island Barbecue
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 7
Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Place: Winter Island Picnic Pavilion
Tickets are available at the Senior Center beginning Monday, July 9.
Free Trolley Rides, Salem Trolley
Date: Monday & Tuesday, Aug. 6 & 7
Time: All Day
Pick- Up: Liberty St.
Salem Seniors are invited to ride the Salem Trolley Free of charge. A valid I.D with proof of age is residency is required.
Farmers Market Coupon Distribution & Health Fair
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 8
Time: 9-noon
Place:~ Salem High School
With the help of the Elder Service Plan of the North Shore, the Salem Council on Aging will host a Health Fair, adjacent to the Farmer’s Market Coupon Distribution day.~ Senior service related agencies from all over the North Shore will be handing out information, free giveaways and answering questions.~ Social Workers, Sharon Felton & Lynne Barrett will also be on site, distributing Farmer’s Market Coupons to income eligible Seniors (ID and proof of income is required).~
~Dinner-Dance
Date: Thursday, Aug. 9
Time: 4-7 p.m.
Place: Salem Moose Family Center
Traditional Spaghetti and Meatball dinner, sponsored by the Salem Moose Lodge Family Center. Entertainment provided by Trilogy. Tickets are $1.00 and can be purchased at the Senior Center beginning Monday, July 9.
Committee to explore policies governing services provided by private business groups and non-profits; political campaigning at the Senior Center, and; fees the COA may consider charging for instructors for services.
PD: What is the need to create these policies?
BW: To help Meghan decide which speakers and program presenters to allow access to the Senior Center and its guests. With political candidates, the ambiguity of policies makes it difficult to define who should be allowed to solicit or campaign, along with how and when. For example, if a lawyer wants to give a seminar on reverse mortgages, is he/she just presenting the information, or soliciting for business? It can be a fine line.
4. Treasurer’s Report- update on budget and accounts (Financial Report Sheet for June 18, 2012, presented, as well as Grant and Donation accounts.)
* Budget report – report on City Council meeting on the fiscal year 2013 budget
DB: Spoke to the City Council Finance Committee and requested an increase of approximately $9,000 to hire a part-time receptionist for the afternoons, which would allow Meghan Murtagh to devote more time to her responsibilities as Activity Coordinator. The increase request was approved to cover 19 hours per week for one year, beginning July 1, 2012. This is the first time there been approval of an increase in a few years.
Updates on Grants for fiscal year 2013
DB: Meal on Wheels funding is through Title III-B, administered by North Shore Elder Services. There was some discussion about the possibility that grant would be slightly decreased.
BW: The State Formula Grant will go one of two ways. If it is set at $7 per senior citizen in the community, the total would be approximately $51,000. If it is set at $6.42 per senior citizen in the community, the total would be approximately $46,000.
PD: Who determines who get the grants?
BW: State legislators and North Shore Elder Services. The City currently receives approximately $200,000 in grants. The congregate meals and Meals on Wheels programs are funded through Title III-C grant money, which was cut $560.
Update on National Senior Network Employees
DB: There is a new worker, George Wilson, helping out with custodial work in the office and around the building. He is part of the National Senior Network, a federally funded program which provides job transition opportunities for prospective workers 55 years of age and older. We have accommodated several NSN workers over the past six years.
5. Committee Reports – Report on information gathered from calling other COAs on policies regarding political campaigning at the Senior Center.
DC: Spoke to COA directors in Wakefield, Attleboro and Marlboro. Reported that Wakefield had a problem with someone accompanying a candidate who had taken pictures in the building and made some guests uncomfortable. They had only been allowing incumbent candidates to campaign. Wakefield is now considering restricting campaigning to a scheduled meet-and-greet event. Attleboro and Marlboro require candidates to give a two-week notice of their intent to campaign at the Senior Center, and it is posted publically. They are allowed to set up tables and can present literature but are not allowed to hand it to guests.
BW: These policies will be considered along with the policies from other COAs, as previously reported by other COA Board members. A draft policy will be created and Board members will be asked to review and vote on whether to endorse it.
6. New Business:
DB: There was an upgrade of the main room at the Senior Center. New curtains were donated and the walls were cleaned and painted by inmates from the correctional facility in Middleton.
PD: Has anyone thought about being the liaison to Friends of the Salem COA? The group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Donna Clifford had suggested a rotation in which each Board member could take a turn. A schedule can be discussed at the next meeting.
7. Visitor Comments:
Pat Liberti:
- Friends of the Salem COA will host its third annual spaghetti supper fundraiser on Thursday, June 21, 2012, 5-8 p.m., at the Moose Family Center. Tickets are $7 at the door. There will be entertainment, door prizes and raffles. Friends of COA will also donate three computers soon, and its annual appeal letter is ready to be submitted.
- Input from Doug Bollen and Meghan Murtagh, attending the meetings of Friends of the Salem COA as liaisons, has been helpful. It gives the group a better understanding of the needs and wants of the COA.
8. Next Board Meeting
PD: There will not be meetings in July and August. At the next meeting in September there will be a list of nominees for officers presented. Then there will be an annual meeting to vote for new officers. Then we’ll open the regular monthly meeting. The next Board meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012, at 6 p.m.
9. Vote to Adjourn
PD: Makes a motion to adjourn the meeting.
EH: Seconds motion
VOTE: Unanimously approved.
The regular meeting adjourns at 7:10 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Sharon Kearney.
| 
