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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-09 Council On Aging Minutes Council on Aging Board Meeting Monday, March 9, 2009 Reading Senior Center Game Room Present : Stacey Bertocchi, Steve Oston, Marguerite Bosnian, Margaret Havey, George Lonergan, Carol Oniskey, Carol Patterson, Barbara Powers, Carole Scrima, Dawn Folopoulos (Staff). Call to Order: 6:33 PM. Minutes: approved and accepted for February 9, 2009 Administrator’s Report: approved and accepted.  Questions were answered by Staff regarding the retirement date of the COV, the content of the emergency preparedness kits, rummage sale vouchers, and the Formula Grant reduction ($/elder). Staff was willing, in the future, to compute YTD unduplicated data for various categories of Staff/Client/Program Contacts heretofore listed as N/A in this report. Financial Report: approved and accepted.  Comments were made by some COA members that the monthly Financial Report was perhaps too detailed to be user friendly and, therefore, did not readily help the Council make decisions or offer guidance to Staff. It was moved (Bertocci) and seconded (Scrima) to shorten the report to the General Fund and Burbank Fund summary sheets; motion passed 7-1-0. Old Business:  Discussion of the costs and benefits of the Elders Services ad in the Recreation Division magazine was continued from last month, at which time the Council agreed to discontinue the ad for the Summer 2009 issue only. Staff provided a handout from the Recreation Administrator about advertisements, including a price list. It was moved (Patterson) and seconded (Scrima) to reduce our ad to ½ page and to revise the wording, beginning with the Fall 2009 issue; motion passed 7-1-0.  The Nurse Advocate presentation to the BOS will be on May 5, time unknown. Staff encouraged attendance by Council members.  The Council deliberated on means of showing support for maintaining the Coordinator of Volunteers position, including writing letters to the Town and entering the budget discussion at the next Town Meeting.  Staff distributed a handout on Fundraising-Raffles-Charging Admission for Senior Center Events (see minutes of the February COA meeting).  Greeting cards from the Atlantic have been partially sorted. Easter cards are now available at the Senior Center. Work is continuing at the Senior Center to further catalog our stockpile of cards. New Business:  Staff passed out copies of the Elder/Human Services Division 2008 Annual Report, which detailed its programs, activities, services and accomplishments for the year.  Staff discussed reorganization of some of the Division’s programs in light of there not being a Coordinator of Volunteers staff person at this time. Finance and Human Resources will assume responsibility for the Property Tax program and the Medical Escort program. The Division is considering giving oversight for the Adopt-a-Family program to a private organization, such as the Reading Clergy Association.  Council members committed themselves to fill in gaps created by the retirement of the Coordinator of Volunteers position.  Reminder that Friend and Family Day is June 20. Volunteers and ideas are needed. Adjournment: 8.03 PM. The next meeting will be April 13, 2009. Respectfully Submitted, , Steve Oston Secretary